Patrick Balkany

Patrick Balkany is the son of Gyula Balkány, and Gisèle Frucht.Balkány is also the name of a place in Hungary.{{cite web|language=fr|title=Comptes offshore : les surprenantes confessions de Patrick Balkany|url=https://www.marianne.net/societe/comptes-offshore-les-surprenantes-confessions-de-patrick-balkany|website=Marianne|date=8 January 2017|access-date=17 September 2019}}Who's Who in France, 2008 edition, p.183. His father was a Hungarian–Jewish immigrant who fled Hungary in 1937 to Belgium where, as soon as his country came under German occupation, he entered the French Resistance, where he specialised in forging papers. Gyula Balkány was arrested in Paris in 1941, and interned in Drancy internment camp An Auschwitz survivor, Balkany senior returned to Neuilly after the war; he bought and sold equipment that was too heavy for Americans to ship home, and invested his earnings in a line of women's clothing and a chain of luxury ready-to-wear stores.{{cite web |title = Levallois Perret : quand les Balkany entraient en politique (1) |url = http://www.liberation.fr/libe-3-metro/1995/03/20/levallois-perret-quand-les-balkany-entraient-en-politique-1_126374 |website=Libération |date = 20 March 1995 |access-date=22 July 2015}}{{cite book|author1 = Julien Martin|title = Les Balkkany}}.{{cite book|author=Jean-Charles Deniau|title=Balkany, l'impuni|publisher=Nouveau Monde|date=2019|page=201|author-link=Jean-Charles Deniau}} His mother Gisèle Frucht is the daughter of a family of Latvian and Ukrainian Jewish tailors.

After studying at a Swiss international school, Balkany took over the family ready-to-wear business, Réty, founded by his father until 1975.{{cite web |url=http://www.lenouveleconomiste.fr/portrait-patrick-balkany-11306/ |title=Portrait de Patrick Balkany |author=Gaël Tchakaloff |date=26 November 2004 |website=Le Nouvel Économiste |access-date=29 April 2013}}.{{cite web |url= http://www.balkany2012.com/ |title= À propos de l'author |website= Patrick Balkany |access-date= 31 May 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120619203641/http://balkany2012.com/ |archive-date= 19 June 2012 |url-status= dead }}. He was the treasurer of an association of amateur filmmakers, the independent Cinema Team, founded by Jean-François Davy.Adrien Gombeaud, "Merci qui ? Merci Davy ", Vanity Fair No. 46, may 2017, pages 116–123. He tried out as an actor between 1965 and 1967, holding several secondary roles in cinema and television. He appeared in Soleil noir (Black Sun) by Denys de La Patellière and J'ai tué Raspoutine (I killed Rasputin) by Robert Hossein. Between 2001 and 2010, he occasionally played himself in television series, notably making an appearance in Commissaire Moulin.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0050301/ |title= Patrick Balkany – Filmography |website= The Internet Movie Database |access-date= 29 April 2013}}.

In 1970, he was 22 years old and performed his military service at the Élysée Palace, in Georges Pompidou's office, where he got in touch with the secretary general Michel Jobert, who would later be witness at his wedding.{{Cite book|author1 = Julien Martin|title = Les Balknay}}.

In 1976, Balkany married Isabelle Smadja. Together they have two children, Alexandre (b. 1976) and Vanessa (b. 1980).{{cite web|url=http://www.societe.com/cgi-bin/liste?nom=&dirig=balkany&pre=vanessa&ape=&dep=&imageField=Rechercher+les+entreprises|title= liste des sociétés dont Vanessa Balkany (né le 20.12.1976) est gérant|website=société.com |access-date= 29 April 2013}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.societe.com/cgi-bin/liste?nom=&dirig=balkany&pre=alexandre&ape=&dep=&imageField=Rechercher+les+entreprises |title= liste des sociétés dont Alexandre Balkany (né le 23.07.1980) est gérant |website=société.com |access-date= 29 April 2013}}.{{Verify source|date=June 2022|reason=Titles support 1976 birthdate for VB and 1980 for AB, not the reverse as text states.}}

Balkany was accused of sexual harassment on several occasions: in 1996 by his ex-companion (who filed an official complaint), then in 2011 Marie-Claire Restoux, former judo champion and former substitute of Balkany at the National Assembly, also testified against him.{{cite news|title = Une plainte très privée contre le député Balkany. Vendredi, sa nouvelle compagne l'a accusé, devant la police judiciaire, de " viol et menace avec armes "|work = Libération|year = 1996|url= http://www.liberation.fr/france/1996/07/01/une-plainte-tres-privee-contre-le-depute-balkany-vendredisa-nouvelle-compagne-l-a-accuse-devant-la-p_178239}}.{{cite web|title = Harcèlement sexuel: Marie-Claire Restoux accuse Balkany |newspaper = charentelibre.fr|year = 2011|url= http://www.charentelibre.fr/2011/05/31/harcelement-sexuel-marie-claire-restoux-accuse-balkany,1038661.php}}.

Being close to Michel Jobert, Balkany was a founding member of RPR in December 1976, and sat on its central committee. During the 1978 French legislative election, Jacques Chirac sent him to fight the first constituency of Yonne against the secretary general of the rival center-right UDF party, Jean-Pierre Soisson. His spoiler candidacy obtained 10% of the vote, thus forcing Soisson to a second round ballot.

After failing to take Auxerre, Balkany opened a party office in Levallois-Perret. In 1981, after the dissolution of the National Assembly by François Mitterrand, he ran in the legislative elections where he was defeated by getting 46% of the votes against the Communist deputy mayor of Clichy, {{ill|Parfait Jans|fr}}. A year later, during the cantonal elections in 1982, he won the seat of general councillor of the canton of South Levallois-Perret and became vice-president of the general council of the Hauts-de-Seine. In 1983, his list won the majority in the first round of municipal elections in Levallois-Perret with 51.1% of the vote. During his first two terms, he contributed to the radical re-shaping of Levallois-Perret, transforming the deliquescent industrial zones or wastelands (occupying nearly a quarter of the city's area) into residential and office districts.

During the presidential campaign of 1995, he supported the candidacy of Édouard Balladur, who was defeated by Jacques Chirac. In the following municipal elections, he lost to the Chirac-supporting Olivier de Chazeaux.

In May 1996, the 9th chamber of the Nanterre Criminal Court convicted Balkany for "misappropriation of public funds for personal gain" (decision upheld on appeal on 30 January 1997), with a 15 months suspended jail sentence, 200,000 francs fine and two years of ineligibility.{{cite news |language=fr |author=Béatrice Jérôme |title=M. Balkany, maire de Levallois, espère obtenir la remise gracieuse d'une dette |date=13 February 2007 |accessdate=14 September 2019 |website=Le Monde |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2007/02/13/m-balkany-maire-de-levallois-espere-obtenir-la-remise-gracieuse-d-une-dette_866753_3224.html}}. Between 1985 and 1995, he had kept three people on the city's payroll as municipal employees, while these individuals dealt only with his Levallois-Perret apartment and his second home near Giverny.{{cite web | url=http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/ces-elus-condamnes-et-reelus_769221.html | title=Casseroles – Les hommes politiques condamnés et réélus | author1=Juliette Cua | author2=Catherine Gouëset | date=22 June 2009 |website=L'Express |accessdate=29 April 2013}}. His wife Isabelle, vice-president of the general council of Hauts-de-Seine and city councilor in Levallois-Perret, received the same sentence for misappropriation.

On 28 July 1999, the Regional Auditor of Ile-de-France sentenced Patrick Balkany to reimburse the municipality of Levallois-Perret the amount of salaries of municipal employees subject to his conviction, in the amount of €523,897.96.{{cite web | url=http://www.lejdd.fr/dossier/slide/2007/128/1312.html | archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110224001538/http://www.lejdd.fr/dossier/slide/2007/128/1312.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=24 February 2011 | title=Balkany, employé modèle | date=27 July 2007 | website=Le Journal du dimanche | accessdate=29 April 2013 }}. On the failure of his appeal to the State Council on 27 July 2005, Balkany spreads the reimbursement to the city from 2000 to 2006. He also owed Levallois-Perret €230,865.57, being the interest on the debt that the judges made run as of 31 May 1995, date of the dismissal by the mayor of the municipal agents. In February 2007, Balkany appealed to Thierry Breton, then Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry, for the cancellation of this debt. On 12 February 2007, the Levallois-Perret municipal council (now with a majority of UMP) gave its consent to his request.{{cite web | url=http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/patrick-balkany-espere-faire-effacer-sa-dette-14-02-2007-2007768079.php | title=Patrick Balkany espère faire effacer sa dette | author=Christine Henry | date=14 February 2007 |website=Le Parisien |accessdate=29 April 2013}}. After François Baroin rejected this request in June 2011, Balkany settled €63,684.43 and obtained from the Treasury a repayment schedule for the outstanding balance of €123,000.{{cite web | url=http://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/170113/levallois-balkany-doit-encore-123000-euros-sa-ville | title=Levallois : Balkany doit encore 123.000 euros à sa ville | author1=Mathilde Mathieu | author2=Louise Fessard | date=17 January 2013 |website=Mediapart |accessdate=29 April 2013}}.

In 2003, the criminal court of Nanterre sentenced him to a €1,500 fine for intentionally and publicly libelling during a municipal council meeting Annie Mandois, a communist member of that council, of having used public funds in the interest of a political party or for her personal interest. His accusations of her indoctrinating children while she was a teacher were also judged false at trial.{{cite web | url=http://www.leparisien.fr/hauts-de-seine/patrick-balkany-condamne-pour-injure-03-09-2003-2004359074.php | title=Patrick Balkany condamné pour injure | author=Timothée Boutry | date=3 September 2003 |website=Le Parisien |accessdate=29 April 2013}}. This judgment was confirmed by the Court of Appeal of Versailles on 31 March 2004.{{cite web | url=https://www.20minutes.fr/paris/28135-Paris-Balkany-de-nouveau-condamne.php | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130701154718/http://www.20minutes.fr/paris/28135-Paris-Balkany-de-nouveau-condamne.php | url-status=dead | archive-date=1 July 2013 | title=Balkany de nouveau condamné | date=5 March 2006 | website=20 minutes | accessdate=29 April 2013 }}.

Electoral mandates

National Assembly of France

Member of the National Assembly of France for Hauts-de-Seine : 1988–1997 / and 2002–2017. Elected in 1988, reelected in 1993, 2002, 2007, 2012.

General Council

Vice-president of the General Council of Hauts-de-Seine : 1982–1988 (Resignation). Reelected in 1988.

General councillor of Hauts-de-Seine : 1982–1988 (Resignation). Reelected in 1988.

Municipal Council

Mayor of Levallois-Perret : 1983–1995 / Since 2001. Elected in 1983 French municipal elections, reelected in 1989 French municipal elections, 2001 French municipal elections, 2008 French municipal elections, 2014 French municipal elections.

Municipal councillor of Levallois-Perret : 1983–1997 (Resignation) / Since 2001. Reelected in 1989, 1995, 2001, 2008, 2014.

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Enquiries by justice or numerous journalists are often made about Balkany's city management. But Balkany and his wife always react by claiming that they are targeted.

"Je me demande s'il n'y a pas une volonté de nuire...", interview by Jean-Pierre Thiollet, France Soir, 2 July 2009

Balkany made international news on 17 July 2012, just days before the vote on a new national sexual harassment bill, when male lawmakers in the National Assembly including Balkany hooted and made catcalls as Housing Minister Cécile Duflot, who was wearing a floral dress and speaking about an architecture project. "We were just admiring her," Balkany told Le Figaro.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/28/world/europe/france-is-expected-to-pass-a-far-reaching-sexual-harassment-law.html|title=France Is Expected to Pass a Far-Reaching Sexual Harassment Law|first=Maïa de la|last=Baume|newspaper=The New York Times|date=27 July 2012}}

{{main|Panama Papers|Panama Papers (Europe)#France}}

Implicated in the Cahuzac affair,[https://www.timesofisrael.com/french-right-wing-power-couple-sentenced-in-massive-tax-fraud-case/ "French right-wing power couple sentenced in massive tax fraud case"] The Times of Israel 2019-09-15 leaked documents from law firm Mossack Fonseca led to Balkany and his spouse, who is also deputy mayor of Levallois-Perret, Isabelle Balkany, each being charged with tax evasion and money laundering on 13 April 2016.[https://www.france24.com/en/20190513-france-balkany-patrick-isabelle-fraud-money-laundering-corruption-trial "Luxury villas, shell companies and fiscal fraud: French political power couple go on trial"] France24 2019-05-13 In September 2019, the pair were convicted of tax fraud.

The Paris tribunal sentenced Balkany to four years in jail, ordering his immediate arrest. Isabelle was sentenced to three years in prison. In October 2019, he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in the second instance, and corruption charges were dropped.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lesechos.fr/politique-societe/politique/patrick-balkany-condamne-a-cinq-ans-de-prison-pour-blanchiment-de-fraude-fiscale-1141229|title=Patrick Balkany condamné à cinq ans de prison pour blanchiment de fraude fiscale|date=18 October 2019|website=Les Echos|language=fr|access-date=30 October 2019}}{{Cite web|url=http://en.rfi.fr/france/20191018-french-politician-balkany-gets-five-year-jail-term-money-laundering|title=Former French politician Patrick Balkany jailed for money laundering|date=18 October 2019|publisher=Radio France Internationale|access-date=30 October 2019}} Balkany was released from La Santé Prison on 12 February 2020, with the court citing health reasons.[https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2020/02/12/la-cour-d-appel-de-paris-ordonne-la-liberation-de-patrick-balkany_6029338_3224.html "Libéré pour raison de santé, Patrick Balkany est sorti de prison"] Le Monde 2020-02-12

Balkany has been implied in another corruption case alongside former Central African president François Bozizé. Reportedly, he took millions of public money in commissions to negotiate the exploits of the French multinational mining company Areva in Bakouma during Bozizé's presidency.{{cite web |last1=Lecadre |first1=Renaud |last2=Fansten |first2=Emmanuel |date=13 November 2014 |title=Enquête: Balkany mineur de fonds |url=https://www.liberation.fr/france/2014/11/13/balkany-mineur-de-fonds_1142495 |website=Libération |access-date=25 January 2025}}{{cite web |author= |date=16 December 2014 |title=Biens mal acquis en RCA: enquête sur le clan de l’ex-président Bozizé |url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20141216-biens-mal-acquis-rca-enquete-clan-ex-president-bozize |website=RFI |access-date=25 January 2025}}{{cite web |author= |date=27 April 2023 |title=Corruption chez Areva. Off décrypte en exclusivité le rapport sur le rachat d’Uramin en Centrafrique (2-2) |url=https://www.off-investigation.fr/corruption-chez-arevaoff-decrypte-en-exclusivite-le-rapport-sur-le-rachat-duramin-en-centrafrique |website={{ill|Off-investigation|fr}} |access-date=25 January 2025}}{{cite book |last=Collombat |first=Benoît |date=2023 |editor-last1=Borrel |editor-first1=Thomas |editor-last2=Boukari-Yabara |editor-first2=Amzat |editor-last3=Collombat |editor-first3=Benoît |editor-last4=Deltombe |editor-first4=Thomas |title=Une histoire de la Françafrique: L'empire qui ne veut pas mourir |publisher=Seuil |pages=1004-1005 |chapter=Bernard Kouchner, Patrick Balkany: deux visages de la Sarkozie en Françafrique |isbn=9782757897751}}

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• [https://pbalkany.blogs.com/ Official blog]

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Category:1948 births

Category:Living people

Category:The Republicans (France) politicians

Category:20th-century French Jews

Category:Jewish French politicians

Category:French people of Hungarian-Jewish descent

Category:French people of Latvian-Jewish descent

Category:French people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent

Category:People named in the Panama Papers

Category:Deputies of the 12th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic

Category:Deputies of the 13th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic

Category:Deputies of the 14th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic

Category:Politicians from Neuilly-sur-Seine

Category:Mayors of places in Île-de-France