Former French Mayor Sentenced for Corruption Over Lavish Trips and Gifts

Accused of having benefited from a system of corruption in exchange for public contracts, the former mayor of Bruges was sentenced to four years in prison with a suspended sentence and a fine of 50,000 euros for acts of corruption dating back more than 20 years, reports France Bleu. These include a kitchen offered to the mayor, trips to Morocco and Argentina, as well as a hunting association in Spain. Bernard Seurot, 80 years old and ill, takes note of this decision and does not intend to appeal, according to his lawyer François Tosi.

In addition to the former mayor of Bruges, 15 construction company bosses were also tried before the Bordeaux Criminal Court, which found 11 of them guilty of the alleged offenses. The Gironde developer, Patrice Pichet and the CEO of the Eovest construction group, Jean-Robert Cazeaux, both received the same sentence: 2 years in prison with a suspended sentence and a fine of 25,000 euros.