Justice: Patrick Balkany refuses to leave his cell

Patrick Balkany will not show up. While the criminal court in Paris is preparing to make its decision in the corruption and money laundering part of his trial, the politician has signed his refusal to extract. According to Le Parisien, his wife, Isabelle Balkany, confirmed the information. "Indeed, he does not come. He may not want to see the pack (Editor's note: journalists). And he is very tired. Baron Hauts-de-Seine, 71, will not be present at the deliberations of the Criminal Court of Paris at 13:30.

Already convicted of tax evasion, the Balkany husbands will be fixed Friday on their fate in the second part of their trial for "large-scale laundering", and for "corruption" for the only mayor of Levallois-Perret who has been sleeping for a month in prison . It is the epilogue of a trial marked by the banter of an indefatigable wrecker who defended a "life to serve others" and regretted his "mania to always want to please". It is also a new era where the breaches of probity of white-collar offenders are punished with unprecedented severity.

Already sentenced to 4 years in prison for tax evasion

On September 13, the mayor Les Republicains of the opulent West of Paris was sentenced to 4 years in prison for tax evasion and 10 years of ineligibility, sanctioned for "undeniable rooting, over a long period, in a high-paying crime ". Nailed in stride, he immediately appealed. The review of his application for release is scheduled for Tuesday.

Isabelle Balkany, who did not attend the trial after a suicide attempt in early May, was sentenced to three years in prison but without immediate imprisonment. She also appealed. A few hours after the first deliberations, she had taken over the reins of the town hall of Levallois-Perret, denouncing the incarceration of her husband in an election campaign atmosphere.

The second judgment promises to be even more risky for Patrick Balkany who has never ceased to pose as a "passive fraudster", a mere heir to paternal bullion. For money laundering and corruption, the National Public Prosecutor's Office (PNF) has ordered seven years' imprisonment, immediate imprisonment, ten years of ineligibility and the confiscation of all his property. And against her, four years suspended and 500,000 euros fine. The couple is believed to have hidden 13 million euros of assets in the tax between 2007 and 2014, including two sumptuous villas, Pamplemousse in the West Indies and Dar Guycy in Marrakech.