Overview

• The weeklong criminal trial opened on 22 September with Perdriau and seven others charged with blackmail, criminal association and misappropriation of public funds, which he denies.
• Investigators say about €40,000 from the mayor’s reserve was routed through two associations and then used to pay intermediaries, including the man who organized the operation and the escort.
• Former chief of staff Pierre Gauttieri acknowledged involvement to investigators and says Perdriau gave the go‑ahead and managed the financial side, while ex‑deputy Samy Kéfi‑Jérôme admits acting as go‑between and installing the hidden camera.
• The court is set to examine secret recordings, wiretaps and a montage of the intimate video recovered during the probe, alongside financial traces of the subsidies.
• Civil parties include alleged target Gilles Artigues, ex‑mayor Michel Thiollière, the escort, the city of Saint‑Étienne and Anticor, and Perdriau faces up to ten years in prison, a €1 million fine and ineligibility.