It’s a “phew” of relief for Henri Galibert. The 76-year-old Columérin had been fighting to prove his innocence for three months, in a case that poisoned his life. The man received a fine on March 14 for failure to pay for parking, observed on rue Sophie-Germain in the 14th arrondissement of Paris… Even though he never parked in the capital with his vehicle.
A long standoff then began to contest the fine, and also to justify that “that day, I was in Colomiers”, says Henri Galibert. Months of chaining up administrative appeals, keeping piles of files, without the slightest effect…
Supporting evidence
Until the day when – finally – everything changes. Henri turns against Moovia, the service company responsible for controlling parking payment in Paris. He sends a “pretty tough” email, in his words, to the company president. It is thanks to this e-mail that the motorist wins his case. A Moovia agent, provided with the photograph linked to Henri's faulty parking, certifies that neither the vehicle nor its registration correspond to his vehicle. “The person from this company had the photo in front of him and, upon my request, confirmed to me that it was not a Toyota Yaris in the photo,” explains Henri Galibert.
A first victory for Columérin, in a long and complex administrative journey. The latter therefore returns to the Paris town hall, with proof of his innocence. “And this is how the situation was resolved,” breathes Henri Galibert. However, the file is not closed.
Now Henri must be repaid. However, he had not paid the sum initially required – 50 euros – for the post-parking fee. In the meantime, Henri Galibert contested the report and having refused to pay, the latter saw his sum deducted. “At the end of November, I had €100 taken from my pension. And at the beginning of December, €100 was taken from my savings account. All this for a fine of €50 increased to €100,” he gets annoyed. Henry.
When he tried to contest the offense by proving his good faith, Henri Galibert could only rely on his bank account statements. On March 7, the alleged date of the traffic offense, the man had indeed made a withdrawal of money from a bank in Colomiers, and his wife also testified: “I had made purchases in a pharmacy in the center of city”. The couple left their home late in the morning, around 11:30 a.m. on March 7.
However, the fine received by Henri mentioned a failure to pay for parking noted at 2:55 p.m. in Paris. It appears impossible to reach the capital from Colomiers, 677 kilometers, in 3 hours 25 minutes by road… “Kafka is not dead”, laughed Henri to demonstrate his dismay in the face of this grotesque situation. Still with the aim of justifying that the vehicle parked on rue Sophie-Germain in Paris was not his, Henri Galibert explained: “I would never have gone there with my car to cover such a distance. I would have taken the 'plane or train'.
Once he has recovered the €200 overpayment, Henri will be able to put an end to this dispute, which poisoned his life for more than a quarter.
