French mayor to stand trial over sex tape blackmail plot

French mayor of Saint-Etienne, Gael Perdriau listens to a speech during a press conference, on January 29, 2024 in Saint-Etienne city hall. The court has ordered a trial against Perdriau in the case of blackmail with an intimate video targeting an aide, which is expected to take place at the end of September in Lyon, the Lyon prosecutor told AFP on June 6, 2025. — Photo by Agence France-Presse

A French mayor accused of using a sex tape to blackmail a political rival is set to go on trial in September after a court on Friday ordered him to face criminal proceedings.

Gael Perdriau, who leads the city of Saint-Etienne in central France, is accused of orchestrating the plot in 2015, using footage of his deputy with a male escort.

The two magistrates investigating the case ordered that Perdriau, 52, be tried for blackmail, theft, embezzlement of public funds by a public official and participation in a criminal association, Lyon’s chief prosecutor Thierry Dran said in a statement.

The case, triggered by a whistleblower in 2022, involves a 2015 video of former deputy mayor Gilles Artigues receiving a massage from a male escort in a Paris hotel.

Perdriau allegedly demanded political loyalty and electoral concessions from Artigues in return for keeping the compromising video private, according to court documents seen by AFP.

Despite being ousted from the conservative Republicans party and under pressure to resign, Perdriau has maintained his innocence and continues to hold office — even hinting at a 2026 re-election bid.

The trial is set to take place between September 22 and 26, pending any appeals, the prosecutor added.

Perdriau declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Friday, while his lawyers could not be reached for comment. /das