The Mediterranean town of Agde is famous for both its stunning sandy beaches and its constant sunshine, but it is also notorious for its crazy swinger parties.
This town may be home to one of the largest swinging communities in Europe. Tens of thousands of couples from all over Europe visit the town each year to trade partners.
At the moment, though, the town is in the midst of a whole new controversy that has the rest of France scratching their heads in a mix of laughter and bewilderment.
It involves a village fortune teller and Gilles d’Ettore, the mayor, who has a background in both the secret service and the police force.
While a court investigates, both are currently behind bars. The mayor is accused of wrongdoing for allegedly lavishing government funds on the fortune teller Sophia Martinez, who is facing embezzlement charges.
A talent for communicating with the deceased was one of Ms. Martinez’s many reputations. The attorney for Mr. d’Ettore claims that she was able to fulfill the mayor’s request to connect him with his late father. She would seem to transform her voice into the mayor’s father’s when conducting séances.
She allegedly used her extraordinary ventriloquist abilities to influence the mayor in person and over the phone for four years.
Numerous unexplained “voices” from the afterlife, including angels, contacted the mayor, some pleading with him to assist the psychic.
That is the point at which corruption becomes apparent.
Using public funds, the mayor allegedly sent Ms. Martinez and her family on extravagant vacations, including to Thailand and Polynesia. The “voices” allegedly convinced him to refurbish her property and recruit many relatives to work for the municipal council. Businesses in the area with ties to the mayor volunteered their services for free because they were afraid he would cut them off from future contracts.
The mayor’s attorney, Jean-Marc Darrigade, has become something of a minor celebrity thanks to all the publicity.
The movement for d’Ettore’s resignation has gained steam.
According to one French article, d’Ettore has no legal grounds to retire, even when he is in prison.
D’Ettore served as a member of the regional parliament from 2007 to 2012. His political party was the Union for a Popular Movement, of which Jacques Chirac was a member.
