A stone as high as your shoe far right in France. National Regrouping (RN)’s Marine Le Pen The wind is in the sails in this political situation. Latest polls predict that he will win more than 25% of the vote in the next European elections in June 2024, clearly ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s party (with less than 20%). His ‘dediabolization’ strategy (whitening) emerged, strengthened by the strange demonstrations against anti-Semitism on 12 November, attended by many ultra-leaders and sympathizers. However, this progress of lepenism has encountered an obstacle in recent weeks: corruption.
David Rachline35 years old, vice president of RN and mayor of Fréjus —the second most populous French city ruled by extremism, after perpignan— is accused of benefiting from a corrupt conspiracy. Journalist Camille Vigogne published the book this month raptors (Vultures), a detailed investigation revealing what kind of reward this councilor received envelopes full of wads of banknotes Luxury items such as a Hublot watch worth more than €15,000 were purchased with cash by a local construction businessman.
The mayor of Fréjus denied the investigative journalist’s accusations and said in a statement that the book was “full of vile, slanderous and derogatory comments and unfounded anecdotes.” Ha A criminal complaint was filed against the journalist. It is currently unknown whether the prosecutor’s office will open an investigation against Rachline following the statements of Vigogne, who works as a reporter for Progressive magazine. L’Obs. In any case, this book tells the story of Le Pen’s party, which wants to turn the few cities it governs into a showcase for the whole of France, with only two of them having more than 30,000 inhabitants every two weeks (Fréjus and Perpinyà). ).
Envelopes full of bills, luxury watches and paid parties
“Rachline is one of the most loyal of the Le Pen loyalists,” Vigogne tells EL PERIÓDICO about the mayor of Fréjus, a town of about 55,000 people and located about 40 kilometers from Saint-Petersburg: “Rachline is one of the most loyal of the Le Pen loyalists. All since 2011.” He sided with him in the wars.” Tropez, the epicenter of luxury Blue Beach. This tourist region in the southeast of France, long history of corruption cases. Rachline managed to win the 2014 municipal elections by making a populist speech and advocating the fight against this corrupt “system.” Lepenism was thus intended to embody a kind of French-style 5 Star Movement.
But after he became mayor, he “quickly fell into the same system and nothing changed, not even Construction has been accelerated in every corner of the city” criticizes Catherine Poggy Aubry, one of the leaders of the rebel town of France (subordinate to Sumar). According to Vigogne, who has been investigating the ultra-councillor for more than a year and a half, with Rachline businessman Alexandre Barbero The mayor, one of the local bigwigs of the public and private construction industry, came out with several envelopes containing invoices.
“Some of this money had been in his home for a long time. stored in sock drawers or bags“The reporter explains about Rachline, who goes by the nickname “Christmas tree” on RN for her taste for luxury and a lifestyle that is hard to achieve for someone who earns around 8,500 euros a month.
as described raptorsVigogne found various statements and evidence confirming that the ultra-leader asked people around him, such as his driver, to shop with him without naming the mayor. watch or jewelery for a few thousand euros in cash. “He also benefited from a number of non-monetary gifts from Barbero,” the journalist says. Talking about paid parties and dinners at luxury venues Excursions on the Côte d’Azur, trips on a businessman’s yacht or attending the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix in private stands architect Jean-Pascal ClémentBarbero’s former brother-in-law and the person who supposedly benefited from this conspiracy.
“What if he’s not an isolated man?”
Barbero’s Holding Delta Investissements (HDI) group, a businessman of Italian origin and owner of the local football team, dominates the construction industry in surrounding towns such as Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël with an annual turnover of 80 million euros. By a right-wing Republican mayor who is very close to Rachline. According to this raptorsThis is because of a Alleged subversion of the public works franchise system. The Court of Auditors had already warned a few years ago that “competition does not exist or is impossible to verify” in fifteen public works markets in Fréjus.
“What if David Rachline wasn’t an isolated man (…), but a symptom of a deeper political disease within the partyIn his book, Vigogne asks about the possibility of other RN leaders benefiting from this conspiracy. “I have elements that show the leadership cannot ignore what is happening,” the reporter argues during a phone interview. “It was voluntary blindness,” he adds.
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Actually Rachline”Best friend” by Jordan BardellaIt tops the list among Europeans. The young 28-year-old president of the RN spends part of his holidays and parties in Fréjus. According to Vigogne, “people around Bardella” told him that “some of his expenses in the city were covered by others, such as local businessman Barbero.” After this information was published, Marine Le Pen reacted with the following statements: ““On principle” David confided in Rachline, “unless proven otherwise.” This was a way of toning things down a bit, but keeping some distance from his party’s vice president.
If these revelations lead to a judicial investigation, this would represent a new process. issue For RN. Le Pen will be tried next year along with 26 other members of her party. Allegation that fake assistants were planned in the European Parliament. This further increases the stigma of having taken out a €6 million loan a russian bank, finally returned this year. In addition to its ultranationalist and xenophobic ideology, lepenism also embodies the worst vices of old politics.