“We are already at eight. » This Saturday morning, Alain Fouillit and his daughter Justine listed all the fines that arrived in their small village of Clersanges, in Saint-Pal-de-Senouire following fines issued in… Paris. Obviously, the mayor of Saint-Pal-de-Sénouire is not at fault for these offenses observed in the streets of the capital even though the local elected official had not left the Brivadois district during this period.
Understand the origin of the problem
The very first fine arrived by La Poste in April 2023. “I went to file a complaint with the Craponne-sur-Arzon gendarmerie in September. They looked at all the registration documents for my vehicles, including those I had parted with. » According to the military, the problem did not come from a license plate that could have been copied, but quite simply from identity theft. “The person using this two-wheeler gave my name and address as if I were the owner,” summarizes Alain Fouillit. The councilor of the town which has around a hundred inhabitants has never lost any identity document and is careful not to disclose personal information on the internet.
Bank account seizure
Other reports of the same type continued to arrive over the months. “Each time it concerns a Piaggio scooter,” explains Justine, Alain Fouillit’s daughter who provides a little help to her father to sort out the situation. Sometimes it involves parking that has not been paid for, or driving without a helmet or gloves. Seeing that the problem persisted despite her complaint, the daughter of the mayor of Saint-Pal-de-Senouire contacted the rights defender. The meeting took place in the Haute-Loire prefecture. “I was then told that an email had been sent to the rights defender in Paris. » And then on December 27, the matter took a further step with a bank account seizure. “I had received a letter from a bailiff! That's a bad thing for a mayor,” says Alain Fouillit, who has been on the municipal council since 1989. The total sum of the eight fines represents 662 euros, but with the penalties, the amount exceeds 800 euros. “I immediately called my bank. It was explained to me that they have 30 days to pay the money to the Public Treasury and that for the moment they have transferred 262 euros to a separate account. »
After several calls to the Puy Tax Office, the 57-year-old farmer managed to plead his case. “There, it was explained to me that it was necessary to contest all the fines, one by one, on the website of the paid parking litigation commission. What I did 10 days ago. No one had told me until then… It’s tiring and there’s no point in filing a complaint,” laments Alain Fouillit. He turned to his insurance for legal assistance. For the moment, he does not have the certainty of being supported on this register and “the lawyer can claim excess fees”.
The grotesque situation for a man “who has never committed a single traffic offense” has become a daily anguish. “I need to watch my points on my driving license because I could lose it. And if he knocks someone over, what will happen to me? », asks worried Alain Fouillit. But he has yet to find anyone, or any service, capable of answering him…
Céline DEMARS
