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Béziers mayor Robert Ménard to face trial for refusing to marry French woman and Algerian national under OQTF
via Algérie3602 min read
Robert Ménard, the mayor of Béziers, is scheduled to appear before the Montpellier Criminal Court on September 30. He is accused of refusing to officiate the marriage of a French woman and an Algerian national, Mustapha B., who was subject to an obligation to leave French territory OQTF in July 2023. Ménard had previously declined a plea bargain offered by the Montpellier prosecutor, leading to the court referral. The couple, Eva M. and Mustapha B., filed a complaint after Ménard canceled their wedding, suspecting it was a marriage of convenience. Eva M. denied this accusation, stating that the OQTF against Mustapha B. resulted from a police check for an alleged bicycle theft in August 2022. Although he was cleared of the theft, his lack of a residence permit led to a one-year removal order, and he was deported to Algeria on July 20, 2024. Ménard faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a 75,000 euro fine, in addition to a potential ministerial revocation from his mayoral duties. The case garnered significant attention, with former Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau and Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin advocating for legislative changes to prohibit marriages involving a spouse in an irregular situation, thereby supporting Ménard's stance. The Senate also examined a bill proposed by Stéphane Demilly, which would ban the celebration of marriages if one of the future spouses cannot prove regular residency in France.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Algérie360.
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