Suspicions of manipulation during the campaign for the municipal election of Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines). The ballot, which saw Raphaël Cognet (DVD) win the town hall on May 15, is marred by a possible case of fraudulent SMS. The former director general of the town hall has been interviewed in recent days by investigators from the departmental security of Yvelines.
Close to Jean-Luc Santini (LR), Raphaël Cognet’s opponent, Fabrice Ostorero is suspected of having sent text messages to town hall employees before May 15 and the day before the first round, which is strictly prohibited. These messages called for a vote… Raphaël Cognet. Worse, they were signed Raphaël Cognet. At least four agents, including a police officer, would have received these strange messages. The candidate himself was the recipient!
“The first clue was when I received a text message signed in my name. It made me feel weird! says Raphaël Cognet. As these political messages were sent when the campaign was over, I quickly filed a handrail to protect myself and my campaign accounts. I understood that someone was trying to impersonate me so that they could challenge the results in the event of a tight ballot. »
A summons to court in January
Except that these letters continue to be sent for several weeks, until July 11. An employee then receives more personal writings relating to his private life. Another is awakened in the middle of the night. In the corridors of the town hall, we wonder about this crow. The climate is tense. After an extremely deleterious campaign, followed by a heavy atmosphere. The one who has become mayor in the meantime then files a complaint for identity theft. “It has become completely crazy and illogical”, abounds Raphaël Cognet.
A few days ago, the elected official received a “victim notice” in his mailbox, a sort of official letter informing him of the progress of the procedure. And there, surprise: the name of his former director general of services, who has since become chief of staff to the president of the departmental council Pierre Bédier (LR), appears.
Contacted, the former “DGS” formally denies being the author of the messages. “These campaign phones were available to the teams and anyone could have sent them, he defends himself. I dispute the political aspect of these messages as Mr. Cognet would have us believe. It is relentlessness on his part. I also explained it to the police and I was totally transparent. He is summoned to court on January 9.