The job offer would have been unusual: looking for a “full-time” employee to sort the mail “twice a day” and separate the real letters from those of “crazy people who write”. However, Louis Aliot argued at the RN trial on Tuesday that his European parliamentary assistant did a good job for him.
In July 2014, the newly elected first-time MEP, the current number 2 of the National Rally (formerly the National Front), hired Laurent Salles, previously a party employee, as a parliamentary assistant. Why him? Why without even giving him an interview? the court is surprised. “We are in the FN,” replies Louis Aliot, 55, wearing a tight petrol blue dress. “They recommend someone enterprising to me, I take it as it is. »
Since September 30, former MPs and their parliamentary assistants (25 defendants in total) have taken the stand and their interrogations are extremely similar. Louis Aliot’s is no exception. The investigation, summarized by the court, showed “no trace” of any work by Laurent Salles for Louis Aliot. A “single text message” exchanged between the two men in eight months was noted. And he noted a “galette des rois” shared during an event in the Laurent Salles federation where Louis Aliot was invited as party leader.
“A fairly simple job”
On the contrary, continues President Bénédicte de Perthuis in a somewhat tired tone, everything suggests that Laurent Salles actually worked for Yann Le Pen (Marine Le Pen’s sister), organizing large party events. The latter confirmed this to the investigators. “I think he also worked a bit for Louis Aliot, he took care of the mail or photocopies,” he added.
Not at all, replies Louis Aliot at the helm: “It was I who gave instructions to Laurent Salles. » For which tasks? “A fairly simple job”, explains the current mayor of Perpignan without batting an eyelid: “sorting the mail”. “Did you think it would keep him busy full time? », asks the president who oscillates during the four hours of interrogation between amusement and profound exasperation.
“It was twice a day”, explains Louis Aliot very seriously, before describing at length this “sorting” – which we will have “explored well in all its dimensions”, the prosecutor Louise Neyton will joke. For 2,560 euros a month, Laurent Salles sorted the paper mail sent to Louis Aliot at the National Front headquarters. In particular, he excluded letters from “all the madmen who write” – Louis Aliot provided a copy to the court – and separated the “very technical, very political” letters which were then redirected to other parliamentary assistants in Perpignan or Brussels, depending of their purpose.
“Oral summaries”
If there is no trace of all this, the president asks, trying to remain serious, is it because Laurent Salles only provided “oral summaries” of his work to Louis Aliot during the latter’s visits to the party? The accused confirms. And was it Louis Aliot himself who “brought the mail” to Brussels or Perpignan? “Most of the time that’s the case,” he confirms.
Sitting next to him, Laurent Salles, who during the investigation declared that he discovered his role as parliamentary assistant by “receiving” his contract, never looks at his former employer. Player, the lawyer (civil party) of the European Parliament, Me Patrick Maisonneuve, asks: and at the end of Laurent Salles’ contract, “who took care of the mail?” »
Louis Aliot hesitates. After “the scandal” he said – “the beginning of the investigation, you mean? » corrects Me Maisonneuve – it was decided to do differently. Laurent Salles’ contract expired after eight months: “he didn’t like it”, explains Louis Aliot.
He had been hired directly by another Frontist MEP before the latter catastrophically terminated his contract, the European Parliament’s investigation into suspicions of fictitious jobs in the party having just been made public. Laurent Salles had once again been paid by the party.
It’s his turn to be questioned. Laurent Salles approaches the stand and announces: “I wish to exercise my right to silence. »
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