“Last night, I think Mr. Proust didn’t score the points.”
A heated argument took place yesterday evening at the community council, between Franck Proust, the president of Nîmes Métropole and Yvan Lachaud, his predecessor. Against the backdrop of the former’s acquittal in the so-called Senim affair. The former president of the Nîmes Agglomeration wanted to give his point of view on the attacks of which he claims to be a victim. Interview.
Objectif Gard: What happened last night within the community council?
Yvan Lachaud: It seems important to me to first go over the facts so that everyone can understand… In 2007, I was deputy for Finance for the city of Nîmes, I reported, because I had to, my services had asked me to, and a legal advisor had asked me to, dysfunctions in the management of Senim, not to mention non-compliant documents that were given to the town hall. I had also said this at the majority seminar, where Jean-Paul Fournier was present. No one forbade me from making this statement at the city council, and I said that I was obliged to file it with the Regional Court of Auditors, otherwise I would have had to take charge of the city’s accounts. It affected land, it affected calls for tender. For me, it was imperative, in relation to the people of Nîmes…
Mr. Proust says that you have attacked him several times over the past 20 years…
I have never spoken in the municipal council or the urban council on this subject. I have not filed a complaint. Mr. Proust filed a complaint against me because he attacked me for obstructing the proper management of Senim. The case was immediately closed. If he is not happy, he only has to seek complaints from the Regional Audit Office, which has notified the public prosecutor. He must address and lodge complaints with the three public prosecutors, the first of whom opened an investigation and the last of whom requested that the matter be referred to the criminal court. He must address his complaints to the investigating judge, who ordered the matter to be referred to the criminal court, and he must address his complaints to the attorney general and the advisers of the Nîmes Court of Appeal who sentenced him. He should not address me. I was absolutely not involved in this. So if there had been nothing, he would not have been convicted. That being said, he is acquitted. Noted.
During all these years, he suffered the poison of suspicion anyway…
I only did what I had to do honestly in the management of a community. He says that for 20 years, he could not do anything. He was a European MP, first deputy, president of the agglomeration. It is easy to play the victim… We each experience difficult things in our lives. I am happy to be attacked, but why are I attacked? On my Christian character. The subject concerns public affairs, the public interest. It has nothing to do with the personal side of each person’s life. I am a committed Christian, I will remain a committed Christian. I do not have to be judged on that… Last night, I think that Mr. Proust did not score points because I had a lot of friends who were shocked and many reactions this morning asking me to defend myself. I do not need to defend myself. I simply need to tell the truth.
The case is now closed. Do you think it is possible to move on now?
It seems like a clan wants my skin, but I am fine, I am innocent, I am calm. I have never been to a correctional court. I think it is not worthy of a president of an urban area to have these words, these attacks which are unfounded, moreover. It does not give a good image of Nîmes and Nîmes métropole, quite the contrary. And I think that yesterday evening, through his words, he made more enemies than friends. Even elected officials from the majority sent me messages of support. They did not understand his attitude…
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