Disability Allowance Fraud in Martinique: Five Sentenced for €3.2 Million Embezzled from CTM
Fort-de-France tribunal has convicted five people of embezzling €3.2 million in disability benefits. The principal instigator received a four-year prison sentence.
Five convictions for massive embezzlement of disability compensation allowance
The corrective tribunal of Fort-de-France handed down its verdict on Thursday in a large-scale fraud case targeting the disability compensation allowance (PCH), according to cnews.fr. Five people were found guilty of all the facts alleged against them, for a total loss of 3.2 million euros to the detriment of the Martinique Territorial Collectivity (CTM).
An official at the heart of the scheme
Clarisse Romany, 37, an administrative assistant responsible for allocating PCH benefits within the CTM, has been identified as the principal instigator. Between April 2019 and December 2024, she first fraudulently increased benefits paid to an accomplice, then created fifteen fictitious beneficiary profiles with the help of her partner. The embezzled funds allowed those charged to finance an extravagant lifestyle.
The tribunal sentenced Romany to four years in prison, two of which were suspended on probation, as well as a fine of 50,000 euros. Her former partner, Fabrice Duragrin, a 48-year-old teacher, was sentenced to four years in prison of which thirty months are suspended, and a fine of 30,000 euros. The prosecution had sought six years without suspension for these two main accused.
Sentences scaled according to roles
A third defendant, the mother of a disabled child and the official's first accomplice, received three years in prison of which two are suspended. The brother and mother of Clarisse Romany, prosecuted for handling stolen goods and complicity, were each sentenced to two years with suspension coupled with substantial fines.
The defendants acknowledged the facts at the opening of the trial, which took place over two days of hearings. The tribunal president announced their guilt for "all the facts" alleged against them.
An affair that shook the CTM
The case came to light at the end of 2024, causing considerable dismay in Martinique. Céline Burac, lawyer for the collectivity, stated at the opening of the trial that the scandal had "placed the CTM in a particularly delicate situation". The charges retained against the accused included aggravated fraud and money laundering.
Source: Google News MQ — Crime