Yvelines Market Racketeering Scheme: 8 Face Trial for Extortion and Money Laundering

Aged 32 to 44, these defendants - an elected official and four market stall holders - are accused of having set up, since 2013, a system based on the demand for systematic tips in exchange for a spot on the vast market in the working-class neighborhood of Val-Fourré, about 60 kilometers west of Paris, reports 20minutes. The price of a spot can reach up to 12,000 euros, with "daily" tips allowing to "double the fee".

The eight market stall holders will be tried in particular for extortion, an offense punishable by seven years’ imprisonment. Three of them will also be tried for money laundering. They are suspected of having made money transfers to Dubai, Madagascar and Morocco. Three other men will also be tried for the destruction of merchants’ trucks. Sidi El Haimer, then first deputy mayor, will be tried for "subornation of witness" and faces up to three years in prison.

"We hope that this trial will repair the image damage of the city of Mantes-la-Jolie, which is always associated with stories of shady deals," said the current mayor, Raphaël Cognet (LR).