Former socialist secretary of state Thierry Mandon must be heard before the Saint-Étienne criminal court. He is accused of “attempted embezzlement of public property” and “fraud” for facts dating back to his mandate as general director of the Cité du design of Saint-Étienne.
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The trial, initially scheduled for June 20, was postponed at his request for medical reasons. Thierry Mandon, 66, will have to answer for “forgery and use of forged documents” as well as “misuse of company assets”, following an investigation carried out by the Saint-Etienne public prosecutor's office.
Appointed in 2018 as general director of the Cité du design of Saint-Etienne, Thierry Mandon resigned in October 2022, citing “personal reasons”, while the structure was experiencing financial difficulties.
The case took another turn in November 2022, when Marc Chassaubéné, president of the Cité du design and deputy for culture of Saint-Étienne, filed a complaint. Based on an audit carried out by a law firm, he accuses Thierry Mandon of presenting a “disingenuous budget” and of embezzling funds via “false invoices and fraudulent certificates”.
Placed in police custody on June 13 and 14, 2023, Thierry Mandon is said to have partially admitted the facts, citing “errors” and “negligence”. Justice has opened an investigation entrusted to the crime squad financial from the Rhône, and heard Thierry Mandon in police custody in June 2023.former director of the Cité du Design evokes a lack of carelessness, and recalls that he reimbursed 22,000 euros of overpayment.
The Cité du design, civil party in the trial, denounces the “premeditation” of the acts accused of Mandon, who faces up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to one million euros.
Before leading the Cité du design, Mandon was Secretary of State for State Reform and Simplification (2014-2015) then Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research (2015-2017). under the presidency of François Hollande.
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