According to the online newspaper Médiapart, the Regional Chamber of Accounts for the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region has identified several irregularities in the public-private partnership of the Nice stadium. The Regional Chamber of Accounts of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (CRC-PACA) submitted, in mid-September, a “report” on this PPP to the Nice prosecutor’s office.
The information was confirmed by the Nice Prosecutor, Eric Bedos. Both the Marseille prosecutor’s office and the national financial prosecutor are reportedly requesting the file to officially open the investigation.
The competent municipal services have confirmed the ongoing inspection, which is said to be routine, stating they are not aware of any judicial proceedings.
The final cost for public finances of this project, built according to the public-private partnership (PPP) principle between the City of Nice and the Vinci group, had already been publicly criticized several times by the municipal opposition for its amount (€243 million excluding VAT) which entails an annual fee of €8 million to be paid to the financial partner.
Immediate reaction from Patrick Allemand (PS), who was a fierce critic of this matter: “We clearly opposed the legal-financial arrangement chosen. Any potential irregularities would be the cherry on top of a very bad deal.”
Another opponent voicing his opinion is Gaël Nofri, who is asking to know “the details of the preliminary observations of the Regional Chamber of Accounts” while reserving the right to “request the convening of a municipal council meeting about a case that alone represents more than a third of the current debt of the City.”
The delicacy of the issue requires caution in any commentary.
However, Médiapart has the reputation of always being well-informed by its “invisible hands”… but always with clear ideas about its targets!
