Embezzlement of funds at Villefranche-de-Rouergue market: €9,000 stolen, municipal agent found guilty
A municipal agent embezzled €9,000 in cash at the Villefranche-de-Rouergue market. The matter dominated the municipal council meeting of 5 June.
Lively municipal council in Villefranche-de-Rouergue: embezzlement of funds and land acquisition review at the centre of debates
Nearly five hours of debate shaped the municipal council meeting in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, held on Friday 5 June, an unusual day imposed by the senatorial election calendar. According to ladepeche.fr, two matters dominated the session after administrative voting: an embezzlement of funds at the communal market and a review of the majority's land acquisitions.
Agent convicted of embezzling €9,000
The first matter arose following a question posed by opposition list leader Hélène-Cécile Fleury, in the context of a point concerning human resources. "I am surprised that the municipality did not seek damages," she declared.
Her challenge referred to a judgement handed down on 20 May 2026 by the Rodez criminal court. The facts dated back to 2025: an agent responsible for placing traders and managing the market operations was alleged to have embezzled €9,000 in cash. The opposition elected representative also questioned the municipality about keeping this agent in his position: "Why was this man back at work the very next day, why is he still present?"
Mayor Jean-Sébastien Orcibal answered point by point. He first recalled that the market generates €60,000 in annual revenue, before praising "the responsiveness of internal controls". Regarding the agent's continued employment, he clarified that the presumption of innocence had prevailed pending the judgement: "As long as he had not been tried, he was considered innocent. We then removed him from his position as operations manager, but he retained his role as trader placement officer."
Since the conviction was pronounced by the court, a disciplinary measure is in preparation. Orcibal nevertheless indicated that its implementation is conditional on official receipt of notification of the judgement, after which "it is the management centre that will have to rule". In the meantime, the agent in question is no longer in active service and is on extended leave. Discussions are ongoing with the Treasury to define the terms of reimbursement.
Six years of land acquisitions reviewed
The second highlight of the session: the presentation of the majority's land acquisition review, requested by opposition elected representative Killian Lafon. The mayor used the opportunity to run through, for more than an hour, all the acquisitions and disposals carried out over the past six years.
Among the examples cited were the purchase of parcels intended for cultural spaces, the police station and the Atelier Blanc, for which €178,000 was invested. Jean-Sébastien Orcibal defended these choices as so many ways to "revitalise the heart of the bastide by creating flow, by bringing the population back there".
The policy of urban space-clearing was also discussed: purchases were made on Rue Cavilhe and Rue de la Miséricorde, currently under construction, which will soon accommodate private gardens. The cases of Rue Alibert and the small square on Rue Prestat were also mentioned.
On property disposals, Killian Lafon asked for clarification concerning lots on Rue Borelly, the sale of which results in an accounting loss for the town hall. Orcibal defended the operation as "a convenience for entrepreneurship", allowing a restaurateur to acquire his business on affordable terms.
Senatorial vote at the opening of the session
Before these debates, the council dealt with the administrative issue relating to the senatorial elections. The list of representatives of the municipalities had to be filed at the prefecture on Saturday morning. The elected representatives voted 22 voices for "Osons pour Villefranche" against 6 for "Villefranche, un nouvel élan".
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)