Nice Grand Stadium: Reactions Following the Preliminary Investigation Decision

A complaint from prefectural services, specifically the Fraud Prevention Directorate, has once again brought the Grand Stadium project into the spotlight. The preliminary investigation entrusted to the financial crime unit of the Nice Judicial Police, opened by prosecutor Eric de Montgolfier, will focus on an alleged favoritism offense in the awarding of the contract to the Cari company. The preliminary investigation aims to quickly gather the maximum amount of evidence to decide whether or not to pursue the investigation and open judicial proceedings.

This decision made by Eric de Montgolfier comes at a time when the parties involved are awaiting the decision of the Marseille Court of Appeal following Tuesday’s hearing. The Nice municipality requested the resumption of the project. The Court of Appeal will deliver its verdict before Tuesday.

Georges Dao, Cari President: Very surprised by this investigation. We were in Marseille on Tuesday at the Marseille Court of Appeal and there were no new complaints made. If it’s for the same matter we will resume our defense. I find the timing coincidence strange. He has a problem with the municipality and we are being taken hostage. He sent a letter to the municipality on March 15 asking for explanations on certain matters. The municipality responded in detail in early May. Two months later, he is not convinced and files an appeal. It took us two and a half months to build a fine project and it takes the prefect ten months to analyze it! For the dispute over the Training Center concession, a quarter hour of reading is enough to see there is no problem. We are questioning the work that began without a building permit. We are completely within the law since these are small preparatory works, therefore earthwork that can be undertaken without a building permit. This was to begin the major works directly upon obtaining this permit.

I am in solidarity with President Maurice Cohen because he got involved in this project, he dreamed about it and he was already imagining the team that would play in this stadium. I have confidence in our case and in justice. I expect the decision of the Marseille Court of Appeal before next Tuesday. But I am disappointed by all this. I will now think before responding to a public market call for tender… I will only respond with Cari to private sector contracts.

Muriel Marland-Militello, UMP Deputy for Alpes-Maritimes: This saddens me greatly for OGC Nice and its supporters. I cannot accept that the prefect’s impartiality be called into question. Prefect Pierre Breuil had warned me that he was asking questions of the Nice municipality, that he was alerting it. He told me: “I have a problem.” He therefore only did his duty if the municipality was not answering his questions. He controls legality and even if it disrupts the people of Nice, he must not worry about it because he is engaging the state’s responsibility. But there is no controversy.

This is a procedure in accordance with the rules and it is not a political appeal. If an investigation was decided it is to verify a certain number of new elements. Only an investigation can allow this. If it says that the procedure was respected, there is no more problem. I am in favor of liberal democracy. It is important to respect institutions. The prefect did his job by controlling legality and the prosecutor opens an investigation and also does his job. The legal system is neutral and I have confidence. We must respect the rules, that is what deputy Muriel Marland-Militello says and all other UMP deputies, I believe, will tell you the same thing. Deputies are not judges. We will see the result of the investigation. If we do not want the opposition to have a free hand we must respect the rules.

Rudy Salles, UDF Deputy for Alpes-Maritimes: I have no comment to make on the decision of the Public Prosecutor to open a preliminary investigation regarding the construction of the grand stadium. Nevertheless I note that this project is in trouble. First there is the proceeding before administrative court which seems to be going badly since the city lost before the administrative tribunal. There is now this initiative by the Prosecutor which will probably have some impact on the administrative court of appeal. I think this case has become very fragile. The reason is that the Mayor of Nice confused speed with rushing. Indeed, the administrative and financial structure he had imagined was intended to allow the stadium to be built in record time to inaugurate it before the next municipal elections. It would have been wiser to respect normal deadlines and thus envisage the construction of the stadium in a more serious manner. I am sad for the Gym and for the supporters facing such a situation. I remind you that I have always been in favor of building a grand stadium but I proposed construction on the Charles Ehrmann stadium site. The advantages were numerous because we could benefit from existing infrastructure such as roads, parking, which would have reduced the cost. I regret that Mr. Peyrat refused to study this possibility.