forced by the courts to dismantle “his” statue of Joan of Arc, Estrosi is furious with prefect Moutouh

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, accuses the prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, Hugues Moutouh, of “attack the figure of Joan of Arc”while the administrative court has just canceled a public order contract for a statue bearing his image for 170,000 euros, for non-compliance with the market award rules. The State representative took legal action after realizing that the Missor workshop, a collective of committed artists from Nice, had been chosen without prior advertising or competitive bidding.

“When France is struggling to find its way in a period of unprecedented instability, its representative attacks the figure of Joan of Arc that we wanted to embody by the installation of a bronze statue facing the church dedicated to the heroine”counterattacked the Riviera councilor on Thursday afternoon, in a press release that was surprising to say the least.

Refund

For the sake of justice, the Parcs d'Azur authority has not established the specific reasons proving that only these artists were capable of manufacturing this large nine-ton statue, representing Joan of Arc on horseback and brandishing a sword. “Such a failure to comply with the advertising and competitive bidding obligations constitutes a particularly serious defect likely to result in the cancellation of the contract in dispute”the court said in a press release.

Following this decision, the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture indicated that the city would be forced to remove the statue, inaugurated on October 23, from this square in the city center. The 170,000 euros excluding tax paid for this bronze gilded with fine gold will also have to be repaid to the service provider. “A letter will be sent to the Parcs d’Azur authority to remind it that it must execute the judgment without delay”the prefecture services reacted despite the appeal of this decision by the management, which is not suspensive.

The “debunkers” of our great national destiny can move on

Christian Estrosi, mayor of Nice

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“Point of appeal, the fate of our new Joan of Arc, already appropriated by our fellow citizens, is unsealed”denounced Christian Estrosi (Horizons), explaining that “the “debunkers” of our great national destiny can move on”while this dispute only concerns a simple procedure for awarding a public contract which, according to the first court decision, was not respected.

“The obligations of publicity and competition, imposed by law on communities in the context of public procurement, are rules which serve to guarantee both the transparency of procedures and the probity of financial operations carried out with the money audience”recalls an official from the prefecture. “These fundamental principles are so important that the Constitutional Council has made them principles of constitutional value”he insists.

So many elements which did not prevent the president of the Parcs d'Azur authority, Gaël Nofri, from joining the crusade of the mayor of Nice, denouncing on his X account a “drift awake”. “Making a statue of Joan of Arc out of bronze is probably more problematic than a bust of Che Guevara out of used toilet paper”mocked this elected official who worked for the National Front and is now a member of Horizons.

“Popular subscription to save the statue”

The municipality, forced to reimburse the Missor workshop with the cancellation of the contract by the courts, thus announced and supported the launch of a “popular subscription to save the statue of Joan of Arc”. The initiative comes from André Barthe, former deputy for culture and resident of the neighborhood around the Jeanne d'Arc church, and the descendant prince Joachim Murat, who presents himself on his X account as “Gaullo-Bonapartist”. The city called “all fellow citizens of Nice and elsewhere” to participate in this prize pool.

Since his appointment in October 2023, the mayor of Nice has maintained tumultuous relations with the prefect Hugues Moutouh, renowned for his firmness, and whose dismissal he has repeatedly demanded for considerations which seem more political and personal. “The prefect has nothing against Nice and its mayor, but it is clear that it is often in this sector that the law is not or poorly respected. Mr Estrosi should be reminded that, since 1860, it is no longer the laws of the County of Nice which apply but those of the French Republic. shouts a close friend of the senior official. At the same time, an investigation into suspicions of “favoritism” had also been opened by the Nice prosecutor’s office concerning this statue.