The former mayor of Toulon, Hubert Falco, will appear on December 18 before the Toulon criminal court for illegal conflict of interest and embezzlement of public funds. Already convicted in the so-called “Falco fridge” case, the former official is this time prosecuted for the recruitment and promotion conditions of his stepson within the Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée. Two other individuals will also have to answer to the court.
A new judicial case awaits Hubert Falco. The Toulon prosecutor’s office confirmed the referral of the former mayor to the criminal court for alleged acts related to the employment of Michaël de Peretti, the son of his partner, who became his wife in 2018. According to information provided by the public prosecutor, Raphaël Balland, the latter was hired in April 2016 as a driver-messenger within the Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée, then presided over by Hubert Falco. He allegedly benefited from several internal promotions, including tenure as a territorial technician, before being assigned to the Villa Noailles, a contemporary art center located in Hyères, in April 2023. The court is now seeking to determine whether these decisions were made under regular conditions and if they resulted in irregular use of public funds.
The investigations notably focus on the professional career of the former mayor’s stepson. Judicial documents mention promotions considered “atypical,” accompanied by salary increases, despite numerous sick leaves, unfavorable professional evaluations, and significant absenteeism. Hubert Falco will also have to answer for a 2018 decision regarding the promotion of Michaël de Peretti’s partner within the metropolitan administrative services. According to procedural elements, she worked only ten months over a period of six years and three months due to numerous sick leaves. The former official’s stepson will be tried for concealment of illegal conflict of interest and embezzlement of public funds, while his partner will appear for concealment of illegal conflict of interest. The three defendants benefit from the presumption of innocence.
A new case following the conviction in the “Falco fridge” affair
This procedure comes as Hubert Falco has already been definitively convicted in another case of embezzlement of public funds. In April 2023, the Marseille criminal court found him guilty of concealment of embezzlement of public funds for having benefited from meals and dry cleaning services financed by the Var departmental council, while he was no longer its president. This case, nicknamed the “Falco fridge,” caused a local political upheaval. The ineligibility sentence pronounced with provisional execution led to his immediate departure from the Toulon mayor’s office and the presidency of the metropolis, after more than twenty years at the head of the city. In May 2024, the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal sentenced him to eighteen months suspended prison, a €30,000 fine, and five years of ineligibility. The Court of Cassation then rejected his appeal in May 2025, making this conviction final.
A historic figure of the Var right-wing, Hubert Falco won the Toulon mayoralty in 2001 before being re-elected several times in the first round. Former minister and senator, he gradually left Les Républicains to move closer to Emmanuel Macron’s presidential majority. His conviction profoundly changed local political balances, ending a long period of municipal dominance. The new trial on December 18 therefore constitutes an important judicial step for the former official, even if the facts examined are distinct from those that led to his previous conviction. The magistrates will have to establish the reality of the alleged offenses, examine the contested administrative decisions, and determine any individual responsibilities. At this stage, no guilt can be retained in this new case before the court’s judgment.
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