The elected of Saint-Denis is continued mainly for “unlawful loan of labor, false, scam and attempted scam”, according to several sources.
Le Monde with AFP
The member La France Insouchaise (LFI) Bastien Lachaud was indicted on 22 September for suspicions of scam in the investigation into the accounts of the presidential campaign of Jean-Luc Mélenchon in 2017, reported, Thursday, November 4, a source close to the file as well as a judicial source, confirming Mediapart information . The elected representative of Saint-Denis is continued primarily for “unlawful loan of labor, false, scam and attempted scam”, said the sources.
Bastien Lachaud, employee as treasurer of the ERA of the people, should have been, like three other employees, whose member Mathilde Panot, paid by the candidate campaign or the party, estimates the investigating judge. folder. M me Panot and Mr. Lachaud, who has become deputies since, were at the same time members of the campaign team. A judicial information is open to the Paris Tribunal since November 2018 on the use of public funds at the last campaign of the leader of the “Insoumit”.
“Exchange an employee of a structure for illicit labor loan, which is equivalent to saying that the employee would have lent himself, it is totally absurd,” reacted M e Mathieu Croizet, lawyer of Mr. Lachaud. “The wrong criticism is only a dressing of this offense that does not exist,” he added, announcing a request soon to cancel the prosecution.
152 688 euros Difference between paid salaries and invoiced amounts
In the spring, the association of the people of the people, logistics provider at the service of the candidate Mélenchon, and his financial agent, Marie-Pierre Oprandi, were also indicted, but only for “unlawful loan of the hand-D ‘artwork “. The investigating judge placed the association and M Me Oprandi – continued for “false use” -, under the more favorable witness status for the main offenses of this survey. suspicions of “aggravated scam”, “abuse of trust” or “illegal financing of campaign”.
The National Commission of Campaign and Political Financing (CNCCFP) had noted a difference of 152,688 euros between wages paid and the amounts invoiced to the agent. In charge of validating the reimbursement of the spending of candidates with public money, the Commission refused to reimburse the margin carried out by the association, for non-profit, and reported the facts to justice.
“The ERE of the people and the employee have only applied the provisions of the electoral code that oblige the providers to practice market prices,” said M e Croizet, who also defends the association.
Candidate for Presidential 2022, Mr. Mélenchon challenges any offense, in this investigation and in the second judicial information, still ongoing, concerning the use of his assistants when he was MEP.