Why Saint-Étienne sex-tape blackmail case highlights the importance of journalism
After cases involving far-right leader Marine Le Pen and ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, now it is Gaël Perdriau, the mayor of Saint-Étienne, who has been handed a prison sentence and an immediate ban from holding office. This represents another victory for journalism, write Mediapart co-editor Lénaïg Bredoux and joint head of investigations Michaël Hajdenberg in this op-ed article. They argue that it also provides fresh hope for all those who believe that strong checks and counter-balances are needed against the rise of the far-right and its media backers.
TheThe south-eastern city of Saint-Étienne is at last liberated from its mayor. On December 1st a court in Lyon gave Gaël Perdriau a five-year jail term, with one year suspended, after finding him guilty of blackmail, criminal conspiracy and misuse of public funds. And because of the seriousness of the offences, the elected representative was also declared immediately ineligible from holding public office for the next five years. “You can no longer be mayor of Saint-Étienne,” the presiding judge Brigitte Vernay bluntly told him.
