The day after the revelations of Médiapart, the mayor of Saint-Étienne, Gaël Perdriau reacts. His entourage is implicated in an erotic video blackmail case against his former deputy Gilles Artigues.
“I dispute any notion of blackmail”, declaration of the mayor of Saint-Etienne, Gaël Perdriau
This Saturday, August 27, the mayor of Saint-Étienne took part in the commemorations of the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the city. He spoke for the very first time on the revelations of the Mediapart survey. “At this stage I have no comment to make on a video that I have not seen”, declared the Saint-Etienne city councilor, who “wishes to have all the ins and outs of this affair”. Gaël Perdriau who “disputes any notion of blackmail”.
Gaël Perdriau reserves the right to lodge a complaint, “because the wording of the article puts me insidiously in question”. But then a complaint for what reason? For the moment, no response from the mayor, “no comment at this stage”.
“It’s up to justice to do its job”, Georges Ziegler
Local elected officials were present at this ceremony, in particular Georges Ziegler, president of the Loire department, who knew Gilles Artigues very well, “We’ve known each other for about 40 years.” But the former first deputy of Saint-Etienne never confided in the elected official, assures Georges Ziegler, neither on this affair, nor when he resigned from his post as first deputy to the city, last spring.
For the president of the department, this case “casts discredit on the political world. But there are times, we reap what we have sown… And, if justice is seized, it is up to it to do its job.”
And as of this Friday, elected officials from the opposition and personalities from the left have expressed their “deep disgust, reading these revelations”tweeted in particular the deputy of the NUPES, Andrée Taurinya
According to Médiapart, Gilles Artigues was the victim of an erotic video blackmail operation, set up the day after the 2014 municipal elections. Through the voice of his lawyer, he confirmed that he had been the victim of blackmail several times with this video. This machination would be the fruit of the entourage of the mayor of Saint-Etienne, Gaël Perdriau, the goal was, according to the revelations of Médiapart, to curb the political ambitions of the former elected centrist.
The case was revealed by Gilles Rossary-Lenglet, who claims to be at the origin of this video with his ex-companion and current education assistant, Samy Kefi-Jérôme, who also appears in the captures of erotic video screen published by Mediapart. Gilles Rossary-Lenglet assures him that the mayor of Saint-Étienne Gaël Perdriau and his chief of staff Pierre Gauttieri ,”have mandated Samy to show the short video”.
Already questioned prior to publication, by Médiapart, the mayor of Saint-Étienne and his chief of staff had denied any involvement in this affair. Samy Kéfi-Jérôme did not respond to requests from the news site.