Muslim Association Loses $450,000 in Bailiff’s Mistaken Seizure

It was while trying to seize the account of another association, based in the neighboring town of Clichy-sous-Bois, in conflict with the construction company BTP Kilic, that the bailiffs made a mistake. As soon as he noticed the mistake, Farid Kachour called the office of Pasquin Lucchini, the bailiff in question, whose contact details he found online. On the other end of the line, an employee of the firm explained to him that the withdrawal had been made using the international bank account number (IBAN) found on the association’s website.

"They did a quick search on the Internet, they found the word mosque and they didn’t ask any more questions," says Farid Kachour, outraged. For him, a bailiff is a sworn person and the latter failed in the verification duty required by his profession. The association also fears the bank charges that will remain its responsibility after the accidental seizure. And the bill could be steep. But he promises to take legal action.

Contacted by leParisien.fr, the bailiff did not wish to give his version. He just assured the association that he had sent a release to Société Générale. "Can you imagine? If we hadn’t had a sufficient amount in the account, the consequences on the progress of the construction site could have been serious," points out Farid Kachour, turning to the mosque which is entering the final phase of the work.

He took the opportunity to discover the mosque on Avenue des Hortensias, whose work is almost complete. Designed to accommodate 1,500 worshippers, the mosque will also house classrooms, a library, and a digital space. A place of worship and culture, entirely financed by private donations. In total, nearly 11 million euros have been raised to allow the mosque to see the light of day.

The leParisien team tried to reach Fatih Sarikir, president of the ACGMCM (Cultural Association of the Great Mosque of Clichy-Montfermeil) by phone, who confirmed that it was his association that was targeted by the seizure of 400,000 euros. He explained that it is a conflict that opposes the contractor in charge of carrying out the work to the Association of the Great Mosque, who is claiming more than 500,000 euros from him.

The Association has appealed the court decision condemning it to pay, and does not despair of seeing the situation evolve in the coming months.