Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The video allegedly showed the male rival with a male sex worker.
A French court has handed down a prison term to a long-serving mayor after a case that blended political rivalry, covert recordings and years of internal tension at Saint-Etienne’s city hall, RFI, citing AFP, reports
The ruling closes a decade-long scandal that prosecutors say was engineered to keep a political ally in line, while the accused continues to deny any wrongdoing.
A long-running feud
Gaël Perdriau, who has led Saint-Etienne since 2014, was convicted in Lyon on Monday.
According to the judges ruled that he orchestrated a covert video showing his former deputy, Gilles Artigues, with a male sex worker in 2015.
Artigues, a conservative Catholic known for opposing same-sex marriage, had been viewed as a potential threat within the municipal team.
The court found that the mayor used the footage to maintain leverage, concluding he was responsible for blackmail, criminal conspiracy and misuse of public funds.
What the court found
Prosecutor Audrey Quey argued that Perdriau directly ordered the setup, telling the court he was the “decision-maker” and likening his position to holding “a finger on the nuclear button”.
Presiding judge Brigitte Vernay said Perdriau was “entirely guilty”, imposing four years in prison, one of them suspended, along with a five-year ban from public office that applies immediately.
Three associates, including his former chief of staff and another deputy, also received custodial sentences after admitting their involvement in arranging the hotel-room trap.
Aftermath and impact
Perdriau has maintained his innocence and announced plans to appeal. But the case turned after Artigues secretly recorded a 2017 discussion in which the mayor referred to a “USB stick” containing compromising material.
Artigues told the court the pressure left him unable to function during city meetings. “I was like a puppet,” he said, later describing the psychological toll and suicidal thoughts he experienced.
He welcomed Monday’s decision, saying it marked a chance to “rebuild” his life.
Sources: RFI, AFP, France24
