In the past, the EPO got Les Échos (its "media partner") to censor articles which it had already published, so we have made a copy [PDF] of its latest puff piece which we mentioned three days ago

Summary: Whilst European media is being paid a lot of EPO money to promote Battistelli's upcoming event in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, serious questions about alleged corruption continue to circulate inside EPO rooms and corridors

IN the build up to the European Inventor of the Year Award which is due to take place in Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 7 June the EPO recently posted a number of "fact sheets" (warning: epo.org link) on its official website.

One of these "fact sheets" is a profile of EPO President Battistelli (warning: epo.org link), which is downloadable as a Word document in the three official languages of the EPO (English, German, and French).

Amongst other things the "fact sheet" about Battistelli refers to his political activities in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

English:

"Mr Battistelli plays an active role in public and community life. He was the deputy mayor of Saint-Germain-en-Laye from 2008 to 2014, and is now on the City Council there."

German:

"Herr Battistelli ist aktiv am öffentlichen Leben beteiligt. Von 2008 bis 2014 war er stellvertretender Bürgermeister von Saint-Germain-en-Laye und ist dort seither delegierter Gemeinderat."

French:

"Actif dans le domaine associatif, Benoît Battistelli a été Adjoint au maire de Saint-Germain-en-Laye de 2008 à 2014 et, depuis, Conseiller municipal délégué."

The reader of the "fact sheet" is left with the impression that Battistelli's current role in the municipal council is that of an ordinary rank and file member of the council.

However the publicly accessible records of the municipal council reveal that in October 2017 Battistelli was once again elected as deputy mayor in charge of cultural affairs.

"However the publicly accessible records of the municipal council reveal that in October 2017 Battistelli was once again elected as deputy mayor in charge of cultural affairs."This means that he is now in charge of the management committee of the Théâtre Alexandre Dumas where the European Inventor of the Year Award is due to be held on 7 June.

The document which records Battistelli's election as deputy mayor in charge of cultural affairs is registered under the file number "17 G 02" and is dated 19 October 2017.

It can be retrieved from the Internet under the following address. [we have made a local copy [PDF] just in case, for longterm preservation in an age of constant SLAPP and revisionism]

Did the EPO press department inadvertently overlook a potentially awkward fact concerning Battistelli's current role in the political life of Saint-Germain-en-Laye or is this the deliberate omission of a relevant fact?

"Did the EPO press department inadvertently overlook a potentially awkward fact concerning Battistelli's current role in the political life of Saint-Germain-en-Laye or is this the deliberate omission of a relevant fact?"EPO insiders suspect the latter. They see it as part of a deliberate strategy to disseminate "false facts" about Battistelli's political activities in Saint-Germain-en-Laye in advance of the forthcoming Inventor of the Year extravaganza and a patently transparent attempt to distract public attention away from a rather glaring conflict of interest.

In its latest "puff piece" about Battistelli the French journal "Les Échos" claims that he himself chose the venue for "his" (!) event: "Pour sa dernière cérémonie du Prix de l'inventeur européen, le 7 juin 2018, Benoît Battistelli a choisi pour écrin, le théâtre municipal de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, la ville dont il est maire-adjoint à la culture depuis 2008."

"In its latest "puff piece" about Battistelli the French journal "Les Échos" claims that he himself chose the venue..."Translation: "For his [!] last European Inventor Prize ceremony, on 7 June 2018, Benoît Battistelli chose the municipal theatre of Saint-Germain-en-Laye as the setting, the town where he has been deputy mayor for culture since 2008."

The six million Euro questions which so far remain unanswered are as follows:

• What authorisation did Battistelli have to chose the venue?



• What was the role of the Administrative Council in the affair or were the delegates too busy stuffing themselves with petit fours to notice what was going on?

[Editor's note: contact details for relevant officials can be found here.] ⬆