The situation in the Gaillac-Graulhet (Tarn) conurbation seems unbelievable. Paul Salvador, the president indicted for corruption, can no longer sit and contact some of his collaborators. An unprecedented situation that requires the implementation of measures so that he can continue to exercise his functions.
On May 31, Paul Salvador, president of the Gaillac-Graulhet agglomeration, in Tarn, was indicted for corruption, concealment of illegal taking of interest, favoritism and false or misleading statements to the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP) in a case of sale of public land.
Following this indictment, the president can no longer go to the headquarters of the public inter-municipal cooperation establishment (EPCI) in Técou. But that’s not all, Paul Salvador can no longer contact Paul Boulvrais, the vice-president in charge of legal affairs. Nor with the director general of services (DGS). The latter, head of administration, made a report to the Albi prosecutor in January 2024, concerning possible crimes within the community, which could concern President Paul Salvador.
A one-way ban on contact. In fact, the Director General of Services and the Vice President for Legal Affairs can send correspondence, notes or emails to the President, who will not be able to respond.
Even if Paul Salvador remains presumed innocent, these restrictive measures are unprecedented for the agglomeration which must continue to operate under special conditions.
In an email addressed to the community councillors, Paul Boulvrais refers to several meetings during which clarifications regarding the situation were requested. “It was requested that the position that I had expressed regarding the consequences of the placement under judicial supervision of President Paul Salvador, in particular on his legal capacity to exercise his mandate due to his ban on appearing at the headquarters of the Community of “conurbation and to have contact with the general director of services as well as with myself, be precisely verified by a lawyer”, can be read in this email dated June 24.
Following this request, the response from the law firm is clear: “Notwithstanding their very impactful nature, the legal measures taken against President Salvador do not create a situation of impediment. (…) Adjustments in the institutional and daily organization are possible to do this, while respecting the legal measures and protecting the prerogatives of the actors concerned, namely the DGS and yourself.” (Editor’s note: Paul Boulvrais, the vice-president to whom the letter is addressed)
In this note, several concrete solutions are provided, in particular regarding the impossibility for the president to go to the EPCI headquarters and attend meetings of the executive board. “For these meetings, the 1st vice-president chairs the meeting, the president declares himself unable to attend the meeting, or the president attends by videoconference, but neither the DGS nor you yourself (Editor’s note: the vice-president at to whom the letter is addressed) cannot attend.”
Thus, over eight pages, the lawyer details several possible measures to remedy the difficulties. When contacted, Paul Boulvrais did not wish to respond to this subject. Following this affair, the president was deprived of the delegation to the vice-presidency in charge of Tourism within the department. The president would have announced, according to our colleagues at La Dépêche, that he still wanted “to complete his mandate.”
