It’s no. The mayor of Grenoble Éric Piolle and the LFI deputy Elisa Martin refused to explain themselves this Monday during a municipal council. Implicated in an article in Chained Duck At the beginning of June, elected officials referred to the ongoing investigation.
« The chained Duck accuses: you would have stolen with the complicity of Éric Piolle the money of Grenoblois. Defend yourself ma’am, defend yourself Mr. Mayor,” launched opposition MP and rival of Elisa Martin in the upcoming legislative elections, Emilie Chalas, at the start of the session. The Grenoble elected official, former deputy for the 3rd constituency of Isère and candidate under the Renaissance banner, had called for a transpartisan gathering before the municipal council to denounce “the omerta reigning at the town hall”.
Request for “withdrawal”
Several other elected opposition officials followed suit, some even demanding, like former mayor Alain Carignon, a “step back” from the mayor. “The city could not bear to live the next two years in crisis,” argued the elected official.
“We keep a cool head. We measure the reasons that may be behind these attacks. In this matter, it is neither justified nor appropriate to enter this media ring,” replied Éric Piolle. “The courts have been seized and will shed light on this matter,” he declared. Elisa Martin for her part remained silent.
Nearly 17,000 euros undeclared
According to the satirical weekly published on June 5, Elisa Martin, then first assistant to Eric Piolle, would have received in cash 16,800 euros not declared to the tax authorities between 2016 and 2022 via a “scheme”. A former colleague of the mayor was allegedly asked to pay Elisa Martin 400 euros per month out of a salary increase of 600 euros to help her “make ends meet”.
The Grenoble public prosecutor’s office had announced the opening of an investigation against the two elected officials and an intermediary for “corruption” – an offense punishable by 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 euros – and “receiving of this offense.” Éric Piolle had already ruled out resigning and accused his former colleague of trying to “harm” him for two years.
 Éric Piolle to step back){kind=link}