Lead poisoning at the Palace of Versailles: up to 15 months suspended sentence and 150.000 euros fine requested

Against the former president of the Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CPME) François Asselin, prosecuted for unintentional injury and tampering with witnesses, prosecutor Nathalie Frydman requested a 15-month suspended sentence and a fine of 20.000 euros.

It was his company, judged as a legal entity, which employed the five temporary carpenters on this site, civil parties in the trial: the public prosecutor requested a fine of 150.000 euros against the company.

"For me, they are the main actors in this drama," said Ms Frydman in her indictment, which began with an apology for the length of the proceedings. Five investigating judges have succeeded one another over the past 15 years.

The employer was not held solely responsible: in the dock, "everyone knows that there is lead in the Palace of Versailles, it has been said and repeated, no one among those responsible could be unaware of it," the prosecutor continued.

Tried since Monday in court, the defendants are "in a denial of responsibility where they say 'it's not me, it's the other guy'", summed up the prosecution representative.

Against the project owner, the operator of heritage and real estate projects for culture (OPPIC), who according to her should have provided a more precise study regarding the presence of lead, she requested a fine of 50.000 euros.

The prosecution also requested a three-month suspended prison sentence and a 10.000 euro fine against the project manager Frédéric Didier, chief architect of historic monuments in charge of the castle.

"Mr. Not-Me was missing from the defendants' bench," said Mélinda Voltz ironically in her plea.

She defends one of these workers for whom this poisoning had dramatic consequences: he lost a large part of his teeth and was homeless for a time, sleeping in his car, due to lack of employment and income.

"We saw clearly that they were cannon fodder that was sent to the coalface," without suitable protective equipment, added the lawyer in front of the impassive defendants.

"This is not so much the trial of a system but of a state of mind of a society which puts gold before lead, and profit before any consideration linked to human life," castigated Jean-Jacques Neuer, counsel for two workers.

The defense pleaded for acquittal.