André Santini, the mayor of Issy-les-Moulineaux and vice-president of Greater Paris is the subject of two complaints for “sexual assault”, “sexual harassment” and “moral harassment”. Where is the investigation?
[Mis à jour le 5 juillet 2022 à 16h31] The accusations come from two of his former collaborators: his ex-chief of staff and his former bailiff. After the filing of these complaints on July 1, a preliminary investigation was opened by the Nanterre prosecution on Monday July 4 against the politician and elected André Santini, 81 years old. According to the prosecution, the investigation was entrusted to the Brigade for the repression of delinquency against the person (BRDP). The complainants, who accuse André Santini of “sexual assault”, “sexual harassment” and “moral harassment” have recently been dismissed by the latter from their post. In mid-May, they were officially dismissed for having “broken” the “links of trust necessary for collaboration”. But we now know that in fact, the mayor of Issy-les-Moulineaux accused them, on May 19, of having “discredited the cabinet” and of having caught the virus during a fine part.
The plaintiffs described at length the grounds for the accusation to the World. The former secretary of state for the public service and current mayor of Issy-les-Moulineaux would have subjected them to long-term sexual harassment. The former bailiff, who remained at his side from 2011 to 2020, described the culture of impunity that reigned in the cabinet. The facts, which date for some of 2021 and 2022, are not prescribed. For the time being, André Santini has only replied: “I naturally deny having had the slightest behavior as described in the complaints” when the newspaper requested it. He took up the argument of the behavior of his former collaborators who allegedly failed in their duties: “These accusations are part of a climate of conflict concerning the administrative situation of these agents”. His lawyer, Marc Bellanger, confirmed that he was not aware of the behavior attributed to his client (comments reported by AFP). However, for Christelle Mazza, the lawyer for the two plaintiffs, stressed the importance of “the rapid opening of the investigation” which will “make it possible to put an end to the exceptional duration of a real omerta and to the culture of impunity established by a leading politician”.
The accused man is 81 years old. Mayor of the town of Issy-les-Moulineaux since 1980, he has a long political and administrative career behind him. Doctor of law, he entered politics as a member of the office of the Social Democratic Party in 1980 (movement resulting from various splits of the Socialist Party). He then moved towards the UDF, a non-Gaullist centre-right party of Christian Democrat inspiration. He rose through the ranks until he became the vice-president of the party in 1998. In 2003, he was elected president of the Ile-de-France federation of the UDF. After passing through the European and Democratic Force, a party launched by Jean-Christophe Lagarde in 2011, he joined the UDI, the Union of Democrats and Independents, a center-right political party founded by Jean-Louis Borloo.
At the same time, he held numerous parliamentary mandates and ministerial functions. From 1988 to 2017 (with only three years off over the period cited), he was deputy for the 10th constituency of Hauts-de-Seine, that of Issy-les-Moulineaux. At the Assembly, he also served as Chairman of the Commission for Economic Affairs, the Environment and Territory from 1993 to 1994, before becoming Vice-Chairman of the Chamber from 1997 to 1998. ministerial, he was Secretary of State for Repatriated Persons (1986-1987) under the government of Jaques Chirac II and Minister Delegate for Communication (1987-1988, also under Jacques Chirac II). Then, in 2007, he was recalled to the ministry by François Fillon: he then became Secretary of State for the Civil Service from 2007 to 2009.
André Santini also had a career at local level. Beyond his mandates as deputy in the Hauts-de-Seine, he got involved in the Syndicat des Eaux de France, a public institution for inter-municipal cooperation in charge of drinking water management on behalf of 135 municipalities in the Paris region: he has been its president since May 20, 1983, i.e. for nearly forty years. He also served as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Société du Grand Paris, from 2010 to 2015: this public institution is responsible for designing and building the Grand Paris public transport network. Since 2016, he has also been vice-president of the Grand Paris metropolis. Finally, he was re-elected seven times as mayor of Issy-les-Moulineaux and has held this position for 42 years.