We see him below, in a video from the Sablais reporter, during his eventful arrival at the Tribunal in 2014 (moved occasionally to the Atlantes).
In Sables-d'Olonne, in the Xynthia affair, René Marratier arrives at the Court, surrounded by journalists and photographers.
The road should have been closed by the police. But this is not the case, which is quite dangerous since some people do not pay attention to the traffic.
From the 2nd minute, we can see two photographers who – too focused on their target – take two poles, fortunately made of plastic….
The trial took place in Les Sables d'Olonne in the fall of 2014 and was followed by sentences of 4 years in prison for the mayor René Marratier (3 years in prison and 1 year suspended sentence had been required), 2 years in prison. prison sentence and €75,000 fine for Françoise Babin who was deputy for Urban Planning, and 18 months for Philippe Babin, her son. The official on duty at the Prefecture, Alain Jacobzoone, was released.
An appeal took place in Poitiers from November 16, 2015.
Prison time was again required.
Following the first instance, the former mayor of La Faute-sur-Mer René Marratier was sentenced to four years in prison. This time the attorney general Thierry Phelippeau had requested two years firm and two years suspended, with in addition a possible penalty of ineligibility.
René Marratier was sentenced on appeal to two years in prison for “involuntary manslaughter” and “endangering the lives of others”.
He had therefore obtained the reprieve.
10 years after the tragedy of 2010, René Marratier ran in the municipal elections of La Faute sur Mer
Attacked from all sides since the Xynthia tragedy, then again recently following the announcement of his candidacy for the 2020 Municipal elections in La Faute-sur-Mer, René Marratier understood that he could not continue to refuse speak out while his opponents attacked him. Furthermore, very recently, the Prefect of Vendée Benoît Brocart issued a press release in which he contested the possibility for a person sentenced to a ban on any public function to be mayor (see Note 2).
In an intervention before the Press on Friday February 21, 2020 in La Faute-sur-Mer, he returned to the relentlessness he was experiencing and the reasons for his candidacy.
And he also decided to legally challenge the Prefect's vision on the possibilities of exercising the functions of mayor, and this with the support of Maître Jean-Baptiste Chevalier, lawyer at the court of Rennes, ” specialized in public law and electoral law. »
Not dejected but certainly very bruised, René Marratier expressed his deep bitterness in the face of the attacks, “ to the propaganda which shaped public opinion, which caused me to spend the most difficult years of my life. »
“(Because of this) I have become in the eyes of many people a murderer, a monster, an abomination. »
To explain and clear himself, he read extracts from the judgment of the Poitiers Court of Appeal, specifying that these were not his words but those of the President of the Court of Appeal:
« René Marratier is not condemned for knowingly exposing his constituents to mortal danger (…). His errors were of judgment and his mistakes of unforesight (…). They are indirectly linked to the damage, that is to say that, if they participated in its production, they were not the direct and exclusive cause, nor even the majority (…).
These faults did not come from René Marratier, either from an intention to cause harm, nor from a desire to favor his personal interests or to enrich himself to the detriment of his constituents or third parties (…).
He was confirmed in his erroneous options by the errors and procrastination of state agents in the department, even though, aware of the technical limits of his services, he had called on them within the framework of assistance agreements, not only in terms of town planning but also in terms of development and roads. (….)
(….) »
We see, René Marratier decided to defend himself against the rumor, against the rumors, which suggest – in his eyes – that he would be directly responsible and that he would have failed for personal interests.
And this is why he targets the State, public officials and those responsible for the DDE by rereading loud and clear symptomatic extracts from this judgment.
Concerning his candidacy, he explains it by “ the catastrophic municipal management of the last six years, the absence of debate on the multi-year construction plan and the rejection of democratic dialogue with the outgoing majority. »
And his desire to put together a list “ at the service of residents, for the growth, influence, attractiveness and enhancement of our territory. »
If he didn't write it, we understood it during the Press Conference: he was in office for 25 years and we feel that he misses not being in office. A means undoubtedly also, in our opinion, of being able to restore voice in the face of the attacks he is undergoing.
Finally, with the help of lawyer Jean-Baptiste Chevalier, he challenged the legal vision of the Prefect, and considered that the function of mayor remained a purely elective mandate despite the functions ofcivil status officer and judicial police officer, considering that the Prefect had neglected article 131-27 of the Penal Code which mentions that regarding the ban on exercising any public function “ this prohibition is not applicable to the exercise of an elective mandate.«
As we said above, these are his truths, René Marratier saying he wanted to reestablish the truth. Not sure that his political adversaries, or adversaries at all, take this at face value.
During these 2020 municipal elections, René Marratier obtained 277 votes.
Two lists were registered, including that of Marratier. It was Laurent Huger’s list that emerged victorious.
That of René Marratier did not obtain any position.
In any case, René Marratier could not have been Mayor or Deputy Mayor.
He had in fact been sentenced to a ban on holding any public office.
A legal analysis carried out at the request of Prefect Benoit Brocard concluded as follows:
In view of the next municipal elections, the Vendée prefecture is questioned by the press on the possibility of being elected mayor or deputy mayor for a person sentenced to a permanent ban from public office under article L 221-8 of the penal code.
The question is asked with regard to the exclusion from the scope of this prohibition posed by article L 131-27 of the penal code for the exercise of an elective mandate.
After consulting the competent central administrations, the Vendée prefecture wishes to make known the State's analysis on this legal question.
If the mandate of municipal councilor is indeed an elective mandate, this is not the case for the functions of mayor. Indeed, the mayor is a state agent in the territory of his municipality, in particular as a civil status officer and judicial police officer, which makes the function of mayor a public function within the meaning of the code criminal.
This analysis applies to the functions of deputy mayor, since it is a deputy who receives the powers delegated to him by law.
Under these conditions, a person sentenced to a permanent ban on exercising a public function cannot validly claim to exercise the function of mayor or the functions of deputy mayor which involve carrying out missions as state agents.«
File produced by:
Philippe Brossard-Lotz
The Sablais Reporter
Videos from 2020
