Martine Aubry, mayor of Lille, is the subject of a preliminary investigation for corruption and illegal taking of interest. She is accused of having offered a municipal job to a boxing champion in exchange for her support during the 2020 municipal elections.
Martine Aubry, PS mayor of Lille, is the target of a preliminary investigation for corruption and illegal taking of interest, after a report from her opponent LREM Violette Spillebout. Violette Spillebout denounces “vote buying” during the last municipal elections and assures that she has “a solid file”.
According to France Blue North, Licia Boudersa, world boxing champion, was reportedly approached by Violette Spillebout before the 2020 municipal elections. But she ultimately publicly supported Martine Aubry, who then offered her a municipal job. Licia Boudersa was indeed hired at Lille town hall on March 16, 2020, the day after the first round of elections. Here is the video where this boxing champion made this support official:
The Lille sports figure declared: “I, today, support Martine Aubry because she has always supported me. She believes in the youth of Lille! There you go, I support her and I believe in her.” However, with this preliminary investigation open, justice will try to find out if this support was not conditioned by the promise of a municipal employee position as a sports presenter.
Valuable public support at the heart of an indecisive election
Martine Aubry was re-elected in 2020 with 227 votes in advance. This victory was confirmed by the Lille administrative court in March 2021, which considered that the proclaimed result was “in accordance with the will of Lille voters”. Martine Aubry’s entourage assures Franceinfo that “there is nothing new in this matter” and that the mayor “doesn’t care”.
Yet, BFMTV revealed that text messages would have attracted the attention of investigators. In a discussion about her future support for the municipal elections, Licia Boudersa expressed herself as follows: “I don’t care about politics at all, my interest is personal. Today, I am unemployed. So, I don’t have to be judged by anyone. Politics destroys families and friends, by choice. I didn’t make any choice, but I always said that I would be with the person who found me work.”
“No worries” according to Lille town hall
Comments which could cast doubt on the defense of Martine Aubry. Especially since when Licia Boudersa started a one-year fixed-term contract for the town hall, the first confinement was decreed. The CFDT union then reported the fact that the champion was hired while she was stuck in Algeria due to confinement. A situation which did not prevent her from being paid by Martine Aubry’s town hall.
Lille town hall services indicate that Licia Boudersa had already had ten employment contracts with the municipality, between 2011 and 2020, as a sports presenter. According to them, “no worries” for Martine Aubry because the boxing champion’s employment contract in question was “examined and validated very clearly by the National Campaign Accounts Commission on the one hand, and the administrative court of Lille on the other hand.