Nathalie Bicais, the mayor of La Seyne-sur-Mer, has been convicted of two counts of illegal interests and sentenced to a five-year ineligibility period by the correctional court in Toulon.

In addition to the ineligibility, Bicais received an 18-month suspended prison sentence and is prohibited from holding any public office for a duration of two years, alongside a fine of €20,000.

Elected in 2020, Bicais is expected to be removed from her positions shortly, as the Var prefect will enforce the ineligibility ruling immediately, despite her lawyer, Me Gilles Gauer, announcing plans to appeal the conviction.

During the trial, the court emphasized that Bicais's actions represented a breach of integrity, a quality deemed essential for elected officials.

The court president highlighted the absence of remorse from Bicais, indicating a dismissal of the seriousness of her infractions and underlining a potential risk of reoffending.

Bicais, a member of the Les Républicains party, faced accusations related to illegal interests involving two of her acquaintances: the improper acquisition of a building permit for her personal residence and the appointment of a close associate to a municipal position without a competitive application process.

This incident marks Bicais as the second mayor from a significant city in Var to be ousted for issues of integrity.

Hubert Falco, the former mayor of Toulon, received an immediate ineligibility sentence in 2023 for covering personal expenses, including meals and laundry, with funds from the Var departmental council, an institution he no longer led at the time.