The Paris public prosecutor’s office has requested a trial for corruption, embezzlement of public funds and illegal taking of interests against the former prefect Alain Gardère following a vast investigation into the network of influence of the former “grand cop “, we learned on Wednesday from a source familiar with the matter.
In its submissions signed on July 18, the prosecution requests that Alain Gardre, 65, be tried, among other things, for abuse of authority, passive corruption by a public official, illegal taking of interests, embezzlement of public funds and laundering of tax fraud. , according to this source, confirming information from Le Monde.
The deputy prosecutor also requested a trial for fifteen other people, including bosses of security companies or construction companies, a mayor and two former elected officials from the Ile-de-France region.
It is now up to the financial investigating judge Aude Buresi, who is leading this judicial investigation opened in 2015, to decide whether or not to send the sixteen suspects to corrections.
This is a case that is now old, my client is retired and lives in the provinces, reacted to AFP Me Jean Veil, who defends Mr. Gardre.
A former commissioner close to Nicolas Sarkozy when he was at Beauvau then at the Elyse, Alain Gardre was prefect in charge of security in Marseille in 2011, then at Roissy and Le Bourget airports (2012-2014). In 2015-2016, he led the National Council for Private Security Activities (Cnaps), under the supervision of the Minister of the Interior.
He is accused of having used his influence to render many services in exchange for gifts for him and those around him (luxury restaurants, work, concert tickets, vacations, etc.), especially when he was at the Cnaps.
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The former high-ranking civil servant would have, among other things, granted a fictitious job, favored the illegitimate obtaining of approvals for security agents and facilitated the obtaining of security contracts.
During the procedure, Mr. Gardre was indicted in 2016 and then in 2017 for several offences.
In addition to these benefits and services, the investigation focused on Mr. Gardre’s property assets and his relationship with Antonio de Sousa, who ran the France Pierre company.
The property developer, for whom the prosecution is also asking for a trial, is accused of having granted favors to elected officials in the Ile-de-France region to obtain favorable decisions in terms of town planning and granted advantageous prices to Mr. Gardre in the sale of two apartments.