On the first day of the Bernardini trial, the defense pleads prescription

François Bernardini and his two lawyers arrive at the Paris court. (Photo: LB)

He will have to dig into his memories. This Monday, June 1, 2026, the trial of François Bernardini, former mayor of Istres, began for embezzlement of public funds, favoritism and illegal taking of interests. Facts which date back, for the oldest, to the year 2009. More than seventeen years have passed, but justice is seeking to shed light on what they could be hiding. For ten years now, the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) has been interested in the administration of the city of Istres, in the actions of François Bernardini and his entourage at the town hall. It was therefore before the 32nd chamber of the Paris judicial court that the septuagenarian, dressed in a blue suit and adorned with a three-day white beard, presented himself. At the heart of this file,…