Sure and confident, Jean François Knecht, the Niçois JFK, could even savor the latest twists in the Grand Stade de Nice affair, which increasingly tend to prove him right. But this ignores the persistence of this city councilor whom even some of his comrades find sometimes too argumentative and “ficanas” (curious in Niçois).
The Prosecutor of the City of Nice, Eric de Montgolfier, has ultimately adopted the common ideas of Prefect Breuil and General Councilor Knecht by opening an investigation into the conditions of awarding the construction contract for the new Niçois stadium.
“Some of my friends believe that a politician must above all be popular.” Certainly a bit bitter but surely realistic, JFK has not made only friends these past months with his investigations into the Tramway, the Stadium, and other Niçois affairs, but it is in the Stadium dossier that he has received the strongest attacks from both the current municipal majority (in charge of the project), the leaders of OGC Nice with their President at the forefront, and more surprisingly, from the elected officials of his own camp who doubted his work.
Be that as it may, the present proves today that the dossier was not so reliable and the future will tell us tomorrow if beyond the administrative failures in the design, other misses are not, indeed, subject to justice.
Nice Première: Jean-François Knecht, what is your feeling after the Prosecutor’s decision to open a preliminary investigation into the Grand Stade contract?
Jean-François Knecht: If I wanted to be sarcastic, I would say that there is a fear of a new surge in the price of oranges.
More seriously, the workload for the Niçois justice, whether Administrative or Criminal, would be greatly reduced if it did not have to deal with the city’s dossiers.
Alas or fortunately, the Law applies to everyone and Justice arrives at the end of the chain to verify the reality of things. In this case, the Prosecutor is doing his job.
NP: You said you have faced pressures and taunts in your own camp, what do you respond to these attacks today?
JFK: Some of my friends believe that a politician must above all be popular; it is sometimes difficult to go against the grain of part of the opinion, especially when it knows how to make itself loudly heard. But, I am a City Councilor of Nice aware of the responsibility that is mine towards all the residents and taxpayers of Nice, whether they love soccer or not.
I understand the disappointment of the OGC Nice supporters and the club leaders who have been waiting a long time for a major facility. Yes, we need a stadium worthy of the 5th largest city in France in Nice, I am convinced of it but not at any cost.
NP: Jacques Peyrat denounces a conspiracy against him ahead of the next municipal elections. What is your opinion on the Mayor’s position?
JFK: He may not be wrong but if there is a conspiracy, it is in his majority, on the side of the UMP and its offices. As for the Nice-Plurielle group, our opposition operates within a democratic framework. We have clear alternative proposals to his catastrophic management of the city and we put them forward in full light, at the City Council.
NP: What do you expect from this preliminary investigation which you are one of the architects with former Prefect Pierre Breuil?
JFK: The preliminary investigation for favoritism has been opened by the Prosecutor, first of all on the basis of a complaint by the Directorate for Fraud Prevention. Personally, I expect full clarity on this dossier. I also strongly hope for an end to the excesses that occur too frequently for my taste.
NP: Perhaps another Niçois affair. After the Tramway, Sulzer, the Grand Stade… Is it so difficult to carry out a project successfully in Nice?
JFK: One might think so but we must resist that idea. There is no fatality in managing a local authority, whatever it is. There is a method of operation. The one currently in place is clearly not the right one. The staff of the city of Nice and its residents deserve for this to end. It will be up to the new municipal team to restore their confidence in their city. It is a noble task and it is what the elected officials of Nice Plurielle have been working tirelessly toward since 2001.
