DRAVEIL: When the mayor of this Paris suburb was convicted in February of rape and sexual assault and sentenced to five years in prison, France's #MeToo movement claimed a victory, reports The Washington Post.
Georges Tron had once been a government minister. Activists hoped his downfall and imprisonment would send a powerful message to others guilty of similar crimes.
But more than two months later, the convicted conservative party mayor is still in charge, governing the town of almost 30,000 people from his prison cell.
He relies on subordinates to execute the day-to-day business. The most recent town council meeting began with the reading of a letter from Tron, drafted in prison, with directives about the budget.
The meeting protocol listed the mayor as absent with excuse.
Activists say the case has now come to symbolize much that remains broken about the French justice system and how far the country remains from living up to its ideals.