Bonum Certa Men Certa

Guest Article: More Battistelli Revelations From the Archives of the Municipal Council of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Honi soit qui mal y pense

Les Echos puff pieces
The controversial puff piece from the EPO's "media partner" (i.e. paid by EPO budget), which Battistelli routinely uses for his personal self-promotion purposes. Source [PDF]



Summary: The EPO's chief, Mr. Battistelli, is caught in scandals not only within the EPO but also in his home town, where he is said to be protected by the local mayor Arnaud Péricard

A recent Techrights posting about the Theátre Alexandre Dumas (TAD) scandal included the following comments from a reader: "There is however a more serious question to be answered: the town council discusses and agrees upon (or rejects) any cultural event involving the TAD but there is ONE event that didn’t even give the perception of a discussion during the sessions of the Council: the now infamously known 'inventor of the year' event. Why does the Council have to discuss and agree upon the use of the venue in all other cases but not in the case involving the EPO?"



These comments prompted some inquisitive observers to take a closer look into the archives of the municipal council of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. It seems that there is no publicly accessible documentation relating to the upcoming European Inventor of the Year event which is due to be held at the TAD on 7 June.

"It seems that there is no publicly accessible documentation relating to the upcoming European Inventor of the Year event which is due to be held at the TAD on 7 June."It is however possible that these matters have been discussed by the municipal council in a closed session.

The council's official website explains that not all council sessions are public: "Les séances du conseil municipal, qui se tiennent à l’hôtel de ville, sont publiques sauf quand la majorité des élus décide du huis-clos de certaines séances, on parle alors de €«conseil municipal priv逻."

Translation: "The meetings of the municipal council, which are held at the town hall, are public except when the majority of elected officials decide to hold certain meetings in camera, in which case one speaks of a "private session of the municipal council.""

"Battistelli is a seasoned political operator and he does not need to be told that when you are up to mischief the smaller the paper trail the less likelihood of getting rumbled."This could provide a possible explanation for the absence of publicly accessible records concerning the Inventor of the Year event.

Battistelli is a seasoned political operator and he does not need to be told that when you are up to mischief the smaller the paper trail the less likelihood of getting rumbled. In fact it's even better if there isn't any paper trail at all because then it's almost impossible to get caught out...

Having seen his modus operandi at the EPO over the last eight years it is not difficult to imagine that he came up with some flimsy pretext like "security concerns" in order to manipulate the municipal council into conducting its deliberations on matters concerning the Inventor of the Year event behind closed doors.

It has also been noticed that the "Journal de Saint Germain" has not given any publicity to the upcoming event.

"Having seen his modus operandi at the EPO over the last eight years it is not difficult to imagine that he came up with some flimsy pretext like "security concerns" in order to manipulate the municipal council into conducting its deliberations on matters concerning the Inventor of the Year event behind closed doors."For those not familiar with the "Journal de Saint Germain", this publication is a semi-monthly newsletter issued by the municipal council under the control of the majority "Union pour Saint Germain" group.

Its critics, for example those from the opposition group "Saint Germain autrement", refer to it as the local equivalent of "Pravda".

The JSG regularly includes adulatory "puff pieces" about Battstelli and his exploits. For example in October 2014 it published a short article about an interview which Battistelli gave to the EPO's leading French media partner "Les Echos" and it referred to him in ingratiating terms as the President of the EPO "who is also a municipal councillor".

"The JSG regularly includes adulatory "puff pieces" about Battstelli and his exploits."That particular "puff piece" provoked an angry response from the opposition group "Saint Germain autrement" which posted an article on its blog containing a detailed criticism of Battistelli's attacks on the freedom of association and union rights at the EPO.

For some reason the JSG has so far maintained complete silence about the European Inventor of the Year event. It's almost as if they are under orders not to draw too much attention to it. Some observers have speculated that this could be part of a deliberate strategy on the part of Battistelli and his accomplices to avoid unwelcome public scrutiny in the build-up to the event.

Whatever the reason behind the silence of the JSG, the absence of publicly accessible documentation in the council archives in this particular case is quite striking because the archives otherwise contain many documents relating to deliberations about cultural affairs and, in particular, the use of the TAD.

"Whatever the reason behind the silence of the JSG, the absence of publicly accessible documentation in the council archives in this particular case is quite striking because the archives otherwise contain many documents relating to deliberations about cultural affairs and, in particular, the use of the TAD."People who have delved into the archives have noticed that Battistelli's name regularly crops up on such documents.

For example in 2017 he was involved in the negotiation of a co-production contract for a musical show "Irish Celtic Generations" which was staged at the TAD in December 2017. [PDF]

Battistelli's name appears as the rapporteur on the relevant council dossier D-17-F-11 (PDF) and he is named as the authorised representative of the municipal council on the co-production contract signed with the production company, SARL INDIGO Productions.

"The role of the local mayor Arnaud Péricard may also deserve scrutiny to clarify whether or not he is in cahoots with Battistelli in this affair."Even if there is no publicly accessible documentation relating to the use of the TAD for hosting the Inventor of the Year event it is almost impossible to imagine that Battistelli has not been directly involved in the deliberations and preparations concerning this event.

The role of the local mayor Arnaud Péricard may also deserve scrutiny to clarify whether or not he is in cahoots with Battistelli in this affair.

It would be very surprising if the mayor was not fully briefed about the planning and preparation for such a major event which is likely to bring a significant influx of revenue to the town.

"As a lawyer registered with the French and US bar associations he can also be expected to appreciate the need for discretion especially where large sums of money are at stake."Péricard is another seasoned local political operator whose father headed the municipal council as mayor for 22 years from 1977 to 1999. He is also reputed to be a close political associate of Battistelli. As a lawyer registered with the French and US bar associations he can also be expected to appreciate the need for discretion especially where large sums of money are at stake.

Perhaps this goes some way towards explaining the lack of publicity for the event in the "Journal de Saint-Germain" and the remarkable absence of any publicly accessible documentation in the municipal council archives?

But as they say in French: Honi soit qui mal y pense... (Shame on him who thinks evil of it...)

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