"Gael Perdriau, who has been mayor of the eastern industrial city of Saint-Etienne since 2014, throughout the trial had denied ordering the recording of a video involving his former deputy, Gilles Artigues, a Roman Catholic who had spoken out against gay marriage. But a court in the eastern city of Lyon found the 53-year-old guilty of blackmail, criminal conspiracy and diverting public funds, handing him four years behind bars - as well as another suspended - and a five-year ban from public office, effective immediately."
"During the trial, prosecutors had argued that Perdriau commissioned the sex tape filmed in a hotel room in early 2015 to ensure Artigues' loyalty, warning he would release it if his deputy broke ranks. "He was the one with his finger on the nuclear button," prosecutor Audrey Quey told the court, describing the mayor as the "decision-maker". The court also handed prison sentences to three co-defendants, including the mayor's former chief of staff and another deputy, who admitted to setting up the trap."
Gael Perdriau, mayor of Saint-Etienne since 2014, was convicted of blackmail, criminal conspiracy and diverting public funds and sentenced to four years in prison plus a suspended term and a five-year ban from public office. Prosecutors said he commissioned a secretly filmed sex tape in early 2015 of his former deputy, Gilles Artigues, to ensure loyalty and threaten release if Artigues broke ranks. Three co-defendants, including a former chief of staff and another deputy, received prison sentences. Artigues secretly recorded a 2017 conversation in which Perdriau referenced a USB stick with compromising images. Artigues said he felt like a puppet, experienced suicidal thoughts, welcomed the verdict and said he can rebuild his life. Perdriau denies ordering the recording and intends to appeal.
Read at The Local France
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