In a ruling issued on May 6, the Court of Cassation upheld the conviction of former Saint-Louis mayor Cyrille Hamilcaro for illegally exercising his mayoral duties after his period of ineligibility. France's highest court determined that the former elected official continued to interfere in municipal affairs between 2014 and 2020 despite his official withdrawal from office.
The judges determined that Cyrille Hamilcaro had continued to direct, control, and manage municipal services even though he was no longer legally entitled to hold local office. The so-called "shadow mayor" case centered on the alleged existence of a parallel administration in Saint-Louis, with Patrick Malet as the official mayor while Cyrille Hamilcaro retained decisive influence behind the scenes.
Part of the case has been referred to a new court of appeal.
The Court of Cassation, however, overturned the part of the ruling concerning the illegal conflict of interest related to the hiring of Cyrille Hamilcaro's wife at the Saint-Louis Social Action Center (CCAS). This decision stems from a legislative reform adopted at the end of 2025, which amended the offense in a way that is more favorable to elected officials. A new trial will therefore have to be held before a different panel of judges at the Saint-Denis Court of Appeal.
The current municipality of Saint-Louis, a civil party in this case since 2022, welcomed the "irrevocable" decision regarding the illegal exercise of municipal power. For its part, Cyrille Hamilcaro's defense team believes that the partial dismissal of the case opens a new phase of legal proceedings, particularly concerning issues related to sanctions and civil damages.
Community
Comments
Comments are open, but protected against spam. Initial posts and comments containing links undergo manual review.
Be the first to comment on this article.