The Mamoudzou criminal court ruled this Tuesday, April 30. The former president of the departmental council of Mayotte, Daniel Zaïdani, is sentenced to one year in prison in the affair of the Sexion d’Assaut concerts in 2012. The sentence is accompanied by deprivation of civil and civil rights for three years and a fine of 25,000 euros. He may lose his position as departmental councilor of the canton of Pamandzi if he does not appeal within ten days.
The smile displayed alongside Marine Le Pen a fortnight ago is now tense. This Tuesday morning, Daniel Zaïdani, former president of the Mayotte departmental council, was sentenced to one year in prison. The provisional execution was not upheld by the Mamoudzou criminal court, the elected official therefore retains his mandate as departmental councilor of the canton of Pamandzi if he appeals within ten days following his conviction. The courts accused him of embezzlement of public funds and circumvention of public contracts in 2012 and 2013, when he was head of the very young French department (from 2011 to 2015). First there is this series of concerts by the rap group Sexion d’Assaut in Madagascar, Comoros and Mayotte. The organization is done in an opaque manner, with public funds. “We had to organize a tour, we made sure that they could come to Mayotte,” Pamandzien defended himself during his trial on Tuesday March 19. At the time, a subsidy signed with the rappers’ producer ensured the fees for the three performances amounted to 45,000 euros. Another was used to finance plane tickets. Alain Kamal Martial (see box), then director of the departmental cultural service, blamed the operation on Daniel Zaïdani, who left for Madagascar at the time to attend the festival in Diego-Suarez.
Second fact which aroused the interest of the judges, the organization of a foutari at the home of the head of the community, on August 12, 2012, with taxpayer’s money (5,000 euros). If during Ramadan, it was customary for the Department to organize a meal to break the fast, it is generally done in public with representatives of local authorities. There, the 200 guests, although some were local notables, had the common point of being supporters of the elected official from Mahor. In addition, Catherine Vannier, the president of the criminal court, noted that Saïd Omar Oili, former president of the general council and political rival of Daniel Zaïdani, had also organized this type of event at his home, but at his own expense. For the location of the ceremony, the respondent had emphasized that “the only dwelling [du conseil général] available was the one at Kani-Kéli.” “It was much more out of the way, the vast majority of people are in Mamoudzou and Petite-Terre. » Cassandre Morvan, the deputy public prosecutor, saw it rather as a party financed with public funds which was nothing other than a purchase of electoral votes. “These people were well entertained at the expense of the departmental council”, noted the magistrate.
A one-year suspended prison sentence was required
The purchase of two CD vehicles was also targeted in prevention. Without public procurement, which is nevertheless obligatory when the amount of the purchase exceeds 15,000 euros, the two SUVs [pour Sport utility vehicule, en anglais] were acquired within the Peugeot Mahoraise dealership. “Elected officials were surprised by these acquisitions given the difficulties of the Department,” emphasized Judge Catherine Vannier. Chosen by Alhamid Aboubacar (see box), the two vehicles cost 39,100 euros for one and 31,600 euros for the other. In addition to having entrusted the purchase to a colleague rather than the “logistics and resources” department, the elected official is accused of unplanned use of the vehicles. Indeed, the investigation by the gendarmerie research section established that elected officials were using the vehicle fleet for private purposes. Daniel Zaïdani even allegedly asked one of the drivers several times to pick up his wife and children. Taking into account the age of the facts, the prosecutor requested a one-year suspended prison sentence against the former president of the Mahorais community. She also requested that he be deprived of his civil and civic rights for five years and banned from exercising any public function for the same period, as well as a fine of 40,000 euros.
The court followed the prosecution for the suspended prison sentence. On the other hand, the duration of the deprivation of civil and civic rights is reduced to three years and the fine to 25,000 euros.
The two alleged accomplices released
Alongside Daniel Zaïdani, Alain Kamal Martial Henry and Alhamid Aboubacar were tried for complicity, respectively for the Sexion d’Assaut concerts and the purchase of the vehicles. The former director of the departmental cultural service, now representative of the Department of Mayotte in Mozambique, is released. It’s the same thing for Alhamid Aboubacar, the former collaborator who supervised the purchase of the two vehicles.
