French Lawmaker Sentenced for Misuse of Public Funds, Faces Calls to Resign

Prosecuted for "breach of trust", the elected official is suspected of having used the funds of a professional integration association, from public subsidies, for personal purposes. At the age of 50, he was its president before his election in 2017.

The politician, who had denied any intention of misappropriation, had acknowledged the "clumsy and approximate" management of the association. The judges, however, did not share this view, citing the "regularity of the misappropriations" with a "fraudulent intent".

The court specified that the misappropriation of funds did not cease even after the deputy’s election in June 2017. The amount of the damages was estimated by the court at 21,545 euros, according to the newspaper Le Monde.

Rejecting the judgment as a whole, the deputy stated, through his lawyer, that he would appeal. "This decision, by the effect of the appeal, will be suspended and will not be enforceable. As long as the Court of Appeal has not ruled, the deputy Laabid remains the deputy Laabid, naturally," his lawyer said.