2023-11-09 07:00:22
Book. You have to be wary of Christmas trees; we sometimes find poisoned gifts at their feet. “The Christmas tree”, this is how David Rachline is nicknamed by certain members of the National Rally (RN) for his propensity to wear the flashiest accessories. He brought the gift to the RN by winning the city of Fréjus (Var) during the 2014 municipal elections, then the largest city (53,000 inhabitants) led by the Lepéniste party.
It was by looking into the cash purchase of one of her watches, a model from the Hublot brand costing more than 15,000 euros, that the journalist from The Obs Camille Vigogne Le Coat discovered behind the scenes of her management of the city of Fréjus. After an initial investigation for L’Expressin January, she made a book about it, Raptors. Investigation into Marine Le Pen’s “Var mafia” (Les Arènes, 224 pages, 20 euros). It is as much a portrait of a far-right leader, vice-president of the RN, as it is a dissection of a system of understanding leading, according to her, to corruption, and of which Mr. Rachline is an actor. central. In the appendix, the mayor of Fréjus, triumphantly re-elected in 2020, denies any criminal act. To date, the courts have never had to examine his way of managing the city, and no defamation complaint was filed after the article. L’Express.
The journalist recounts the conquest of local power, following a pact made with the former mayor (UMP) Elie Brun, discredited, convicted of illegal taking of interests, having led the city to massive over-indebtedness. Mr. Rachline, not yet thirty years old at the time but with a good-natured and reassuring smile, promised the end of the Brun system. He only perpetuated it, guided by the former mayor’s henchman, who put it in the pocket of the same Var businessman, Alexandre Barbero: owner of a holding company bringing together more than ten entities, in luxury hotels, catering, tourism, and especially construction – all sectors where the goodwill of local elected officials represents serious support. Man reigns in this corner of the Côte d’Azur where concrete is poured like bowls.
Uninhibited racism
Mr. Rachline leaves home with manila envelopes whose contents the author does not know. However, she is surprised by the very high lifestyle of the councilor, systematically provided with cash. The pockets are overflowing, so much so that Mr. Rachline worries about them constantly, the cash changing locations regularly.
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