In the Sulzer case, which led to the indictment of Martial Meunier Jourde and Daniel Véran, no charges have been brought against Jacques Peyrat, the Senator and Mayor of Nice. However, criticism abounds against him. At a press conference held by Nice Plurielle, Paul Cuturello likened Jacques Peyrat to the Pagnol character of Lou Ravi, “the one who is always the last to know.” The main complaint concerns his choice of close staff and the trust he places in them. It should be noted that Martial Meunier Jourde was the director of international relations and protocol, and Daniel Véran, the head of the Municipal Police.
Jacques Peyrat had, and perhaps still has, a high regard for Martial Meunier Jourde. An episode from the city council meeting on November 4, 2005, attests to this. It concerned “changes relating to the position of Director of International Relations and Protocol” with a salary increase. Jean-François Knecht, a city councilor from the opposition, spoke up to demand explanations about the dual roles held by Mr. Meunier Jourde at CANCA and at the Mayor’s office. Jacques Peyrat personally defended his employee, saying, “I will answer, if you allow me, because it concerns the cabinet, which I manage, and I am also the President of the Canca, and the accumulation of roles is in relation to Canca.” The Senator Mayor continued by explaining the reasons for the increase: “Given his work efficiency, availability, and skills, a person can hold two positions, which certainly costs less than two individuals. That is the spirit in which the Director of International Affairs and Protocol and other duties, though not applicable to the Community Agglomeration, holds multiple roles. And I am responsible for this, and I consider it a good thing.”
The Mayor, speaking as the president of Canca, devoted the continuation of his argument to praising the qualities of his Director of Protocol: “Mr. Meunier-Jourde plays a significant role that he manages well across all the duties I have entrusted him with (…) And because there is intensive work demanded of our Director, it seemed normal to me that he should be paid commensurate to his responsibilities, fearing that he might be called upon for other roles elsewhere because when talented individuals are used, they are sought after by others. And since I prefer to keep them for us, I provide them with the means to hold positions worthy of the compensation they can expect, within the legal framework, of course, without any secrecy.”
This statement should be contextualized. On November 4, the day Jacques Peyrat responded to Jean-François Knecht, no one doubted the abilities of Martial Meunier Jourde, neither Jacques Peyrat nor Nice Plurielle. In fact, the opposition approved the pay raise, except for Jean-François Knecht. Today, the abilities of Martial Meunier Jourde are not questioned as he is presumed innocent until proven guilty or not.
Jean-François Knecht revisits this November 4.
He reacted to this salary increase because he deemed it excessive: “I was the only one not to vote for this 30% salary increase for Martial Meunier-Jourde. It’s not normal for a cabinet director to earn a salary from both the city hall and CANCA around 10,000€, along with job perks (phone, company car). It’s disproportionate. To provide some context, the prefect of Ariège earns about the same amount despite heading a service that only includes 25 people. I was not judging the skills of the Director of Protocol.”
