According to reports from the local French press, Yves Juhel, the mayor of Menton has been arrested and taken into police custody for questioning about the possible misappropriation of public funds in a case linked to his management of Les Ports de Menton.
Juhel, who has been the mayor of Menton in the far-eastern corner of the Alpes-Maritimes since 2022, was reportedly arrested by the Interregional Jurisdiction Specialised in Combating Organized Crime of Marseille (JIRS) on the morning of Tuesday 2nd July and taken to the Auvare Police Commissariat. It is believed that he was released later that day, but that his questioning will resume on Wednesday 3rd July.
Reports by the French-language media outlets of the south of France suggest that Juhel is suspected of being involved in the misappropriation of public funds.
France 3 Côte d’Azur has made reference to claims for expenses totalling more than €700,000, including fees for hotel stays, plane tickets, dinners at restaurants, Champagne and truffles, moving costs and vehicles not listed in the fleet belonging to the Menton municipality, adding, “In the background is the financing of Mayor Yves Juhel’s 2022 campaign.”
France 3 Côte d’Azur has also reported that 2,000 documents have been submitted for review. A full audit is reportedly in the works, with its results due at the end of this week or early next week.
“I can confirm that my client was placed in police custody this morning,” said Juhel’s lawyer, Philippe Soussi, in comments provided to the media on Tuesday 2nd July.
The investigation into Les Ports de Menton’s management is understood to have been led by the judicial police service in Nice until this latest development. It has now, according to the local press, been taken over by Marseille’s JIRS, which handles cases of major financial crime.
According to the Nice Matin, Juhel was just one of 12 people to have been questioned by police in relation to the ongoing investigation into the public company of Les Ports de Menton. Others included his wife, who was released in the evening, according to the newspaper, and Mathieu Messina, the Chief Magistrate of Menton and former CEO of Les Ports de Menton, as well as former Deputy Mayor for Finance under Juhel. Messina appears to be the second biggest figure in the sights of the investigators, but is reportedly in Corsica and was thus taken into police custody by local forces there.
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