US EditionFrench Mayor to Go on Trial over Alleged Sex-Tape Blackmail of Political Rival
- Gael Perdriau, mayor of Saint-Etienne, France, is set to face trial in September over allegations of blackmail using a sex tape.
- The case originates from a 2015 incident involving a video showing former deputy mayor Gilles Artigues in a Paris hotel with a male escort.
- Two magistrates investigated the allegations, and Perdriau faces charges including blackmail, theft, embezzlement, and criminal association participation.
- "The trial is scheduled between September 22 and 26," said Lyon's chief prosecutor Thierry Dran, with dates pending any appeals.
- Despite pressure and expulsion from his party, Perdriau maintains innocence, continues in office, and has hinted at a 2026 re-election bid.
16 Articles
16 Articles
French mayor to go on trial over alleged sex-tape blackmail of political rival
Saint-Etienne Mayor Gaël Perdriau is set to face trial in September over allegations that he used a secretly recorded tape of his deputy and political rival with an escort to blackmail him for years.
Malay Mail
AlKhaleej TodayFrench mayor to face trial for alleged sex tape blackmail of political rival
LYON, June 7 — A French mayor accused of using a sex tape to blackmail a political rival is set to go on trial in September after a court yesterday ordered him to face criminal proceedings. Gael Perdriau, who leads the city of Saint-Etienne in central France, is accused of orchestrating the plot in 2015, using footage of his deputy with a male escort. The two magistrates investigating the case ordered that Perdriau, 52, be tried for blackmail, t…
The investigating judges seized of the case ordered a trial against the mayor of Saint-Étienne, suspected of having trapped his deputy with a sextape. With three of his alleged accomplices, he will be tried for blackmail, embezzlement of public funds and association of criminals.
The trial will also involve several former relatives of the mayor, as well as community leaders suspected of having participated in the machination.
The mayor of Saint-Etienne will be tried well by a correctional court in the case of blackmail with sextape. They will be eight on the bench of the defendants: Gaël Perdriau, his three former "Lieutenants" and four leaders of Stéphanois associations. The trial is announced from 22 to 26 September in Lyon.
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