The criminal court of Nice has given a suspended sentence to a former neighborhood committee president.
Yesterday afternoon, Serge Amato, 78 years old, appeared before the criminal court of Nice.
The former president of the Riquier neighborhood committee was sentenced to 6 months of suspended prison time for breach of trust to the detriment of the association he presided over. In addition to this suspended sentence, he is prohibited from holding any social office for 3 years and must pay a symbolic financial penalty of 1 € and 450 € in legal fees for each plaintiff.
A significant figure in Nice’s neighborhood committees, he was removed from his duties by the Nice public prosecutor’s office for having misappropriated 13,000 euros from 2015 to 2020. Despite that, he claims to have obtained this money with a mutual agreement from his board of directors, however, several former members report a shortage of 6,200 €.
Serge Amato reacted strongly, asserting that nothing was missing: “Everything has been repaid! It’s a loan, not embezzlement!”.
This latest statement suggests that he might likely appeal, but his attorney, Maitre Mathurin Lauze, has not yet confirmed this.
