Gilles d’Ettore, mayor of the commune of Agde, was indicted this Thursday March 21 and placed in pre-trial detention for “illegal taking of interests and corruption”.
As learned BFMTV with the Béziers prosecutor, Gilles d’Ettore, the Les Républicains mayor of the town of Agde in Hérault is accused of “embezzlement by a person holding public authority, illegal taking of interests and corruption. The prosecutor, Raphaël Balland, indicated that the councilor was placed in pre-trial detention this Thursday, March 21 after being corrupted by a clairvoyant from the town, who was also placed in pre-trial detention. Le Figaro indicates that the town hall of the town had previously been searched.
The mayor and the clairvoyant placed in pre-trial detention
The clairvoyant at the heart of the accusations is a resident of the town of Agde, declared as a self-employed person who presents herself as a clairvoyant, medium and “healer”. This woman is accused of fraud, “concealment of embezzlement by a person holding public authority, concealment of corruption, and concealed work” as the prosecutor said. He also specified that the two individuals were placed in provisional detention in order to “preserve future investigations by preventing any pressure on witnesses and other persons involved, and to avoid any repetition of the facts”.
Gilles d’Ettore trapped?
The clairvoyant is accused of having resorted to a “stratagem consisting of modifying her voice with numerous interlocutors, including members of her family and close friends” as relayed by BFMTV. The media adds that the 55-year-old mayor had been speaking with the clairvoyant since their meeting in May 2020. This woman would have used a voice of “masculine appearance, calm and hoarse” which she claimed to be that of a ” supernatural being from beyond” to convince the mayor to hire members of his family within the town hall. This would have allowed her to obtain a position for five people from her family or those close to her, in particular her husband who works as technical director of the town hall. As Le Figaro specifies, the latter was also indicted for “concealment of illegal taking of interests, concealment of embezzlement by a person holding public authority and concealment of corruption” and was placed under judicial supervision with a ban on exercising his function.
First investigations from 2023 around the medium
As the prosecutor’s press release indicates, “This ‘voice’ mainly encouraged those he spoke to to care about the well-being of this woman, including materially.” BFMTV indicates that during her police custody which preceded pre-trial detention, the clairvoyant admitted to having benefited from numerous aids of different kinds and from numerous people, even within her entourage. Le Figaro indicates that the medium declared during her custody that she “regretted her behavior, explaining that she had entered a spiral from which she could no longer escape”. The media adds that Gilles d’Ettore recognized the trick when he watched a video showing the clairvoyant modifying her voice.
Le Figaro also indicated that the first investigations surrounding the clairvoyant date back to October 2023. At the time the facts mainly concerned the financial situation of the self-employed woman. According to Le Figaro, the medium enjoyed great popularity in the city and had developed a “significant clientele” and was accused of “having declared only part of her income as part of her self-employed activity in Agde. In total, around forty people were interviewed as part of the investigation.