The city of Saint-Cyprien goes to court against Serge Pallares
The municipality of Saint-Cyprien recently confirmed to the local press the filing of a complaint with the public prosecutor of Perpignan, against Serge Pallares, ex-director of the marina of the town in the Pyrénées Orientales. At the head of the public structure since 1995, he left his functions at the beginning of 2021. Serge Pallares is a figure in the port management sector. He is still president of the French Federation of Marinas (FFPP) and of the Union of Port Cities of Occitania (UVPO).
A blurred border between the port of Saint-Cyprien and the UVPO
The first reason for the legal action relates to the use, undue according to the prosecution, of municipal staff for the benefit of the UVPO. The mayor of Saint-Cyprien, Thierry del Poso, has sent a letter to the elected representatives of the association, which groups together 31 ports in the region, including important basins such as Canet en Roussillon, La Grande Motte and Port Camargue. He denounced "an institutionalized mix of genres" and the financing at the expense of the community of a full time equivalent over 5 years for the account of the UVPO for the management of the activities of its president or boat shows and various events.
Contested Port Director Contract
The second issue in dispute is the contract of the former port director of Saint-Cyprien and the salary that followed. The document signed in 2005 (Editor's note: Under the mandate of the former mayor. Mr. Del Poso has been in office since 2009) is based on private law. This would not be compatible with the management of a municipal port, according to the mayor of the Languedoc port, who says he is seeking an amicable settlement on the subject.
A hot political context locally and within the port community
Whatever the outcome, Mr. Pallares is presumed innocent, the judicial procedure comes in a delicate context for Serge Pallares. He has publicly stated his willingness to engage politically and was expected to join the list of the outgoing PS elected to the Region Carole Delga, political opponent of the mayor LR of Saint-Cyprien.
Elected to head the UVPO until 2026, Serge Pallares has chaired the FFPP since 2000. If the association has regained weight thanks to the discussions with the institutions during the confinement of 2020 for the reopening of marinas, it has faced a defiance of a part of the French coastal ports. The project of a competing union The FFPP, at the initiative of the Association des Ports de Plaisance de Bretagne (APPB) and the Association des Ports de Plaisance de l'Atlantique (APPA), called the Union Nationale des Ports de Plaisance (UNPP), had been put on hold in 2020. The setbacks of the president of the FFPP could have consequences on the situation.
Contacted, neither of the 2 parties wished to express themselves.
