In the 4th arrondissement of Marseille, a policewoman is accused of being overzealous by regularly ticketing her neighbors for parking violations. The IGPN has been notified.
In less than two years, Hervé Street has accumulated 56 fines from the same policewoman. After some investigation, this Marseille entrepreneur, specialized in transport, discovered that the officer at the origin of the fines is also… his neighbor. She lives like him, in Impasse des Olivettes, in the 4th arrondissement of Marseille.
“This is unprecedented. If it was justified, we would have understood and paid, but these fines are unfounded,” confides Hervé Street.
In response to the allegations, an internal investigation has been opened to examine his case. Authorities are seeking to determine whether the police officer acted within the scope of his duties.
A rain of fines
In this parking war, Hervé’s case is not isolated. For months, half a dozen local residents have complained about receiving fines ranging from 35 to 135 euros on a very regular basis. The reason for the infraction varies, but there is one identical number that comes up all the time: that of the ticketing officer.
The civil servant is accused of being overzealous in regularly fining her neighbours. Hervé Street questions her motivations “because we still don’t have an answer to our question. Why is she fining us?”
Neighborhood dispute? Illegal parking? The Marseillais refutes: “We are well parked, it’s a dead end.”
Two investigations opened
So, when he noticed the first abuses, he contacted, with his lawyer, the general inspection of the national police. Another investigation, this time administrative, was also launched a few days ago to examine these potential abuses.
For Hervé’s lawyer, Maître Aurélien Olivier, there is no doubt that “almost all of the fines are materially and legally unfounded.” He added: “We are trying to understand, which is why the two investigations are very important for the continuation of this case.”
In the meantime, on Wednesday, September 18, the entrepreneur was summoned to court for about twenty parking tickets. However, these tickets were dismissed by the public prosecutor and the hearing was postponed until next November.
Cindy Chevaux with Julie Benmoussa
