blackmail on an intimate video at the town hall

For a week, the mayor (LR) of Saint-Etienne (Loire)Gael partridgedecided to defend himself. Did he blackmail his ex-first assistant with an intimate video for eight years? Against a backdrop of political rivalry within the same camp, Gilles artigues said to have been trapped by the entourage of the mayor, filmed without his knowledge in 2014 with a prostitute in a Parisian hotel. The video would then have been used to put pressure on this father. The mayor disputes the remarks.

Andrew buffardlawyer for Gilles artiguesclaims to have proof that the mayor knew of the existence of the video. The case shakes the political environment of Saint-Etienne, including in the camp of the mayor. Residents are also shocked. “It’s even horrible, that the city is dirty like that”says a woman. According to “Mediapart”, among the authors presumed to the video figure another deputy mayor and his companion at the time. They would have received money in return through municipal grants. The court has opened a preliminary investigation.