Appeal court in Lyon set to rule on former Saint-Étienne mayor's sextape blackmail case
The Lyon Court of Appeal will deliver its verdict on former Saint-Étienne mayor Gaël Perdriau’s sextape-blackmail appeal on Thursday.
On Thursday, the Lyon Court of Appeal will announce its decision regarding the appeal filed by former Saint-Étienne mayor Gaël Perdriau, who was convicted in December 2025 of sextape-related blackmail and sentenced to five years, with four years of actual imprisonment. The appellate chamber is considering a request that reduces the custodial portion to three years of prison. The case stems from a 2015 clandestine recording of former deputy Gilles Artigues with an escort, which was allegedly used to pressure him politically.
Three individuals involved in arranging the hidden-camera operation have confessed to their roles and assert that Perdriau commissioned the plot; two of them are also appealing their own penalties. Perdriau continues to deny the accusations, while Artigues’ lawyer highlighted the personal and professional damage the scandal caused him.
