Nîmes prefecture official convicted for irregular residency permit processing

A civil servant working at the Gard prefecture has been handed an eighteen-month suspended prison sentence by the Nîmes Criminal Court for facilitating 16 residency permits through irregular means. The investigation, which began following an anonymous tip-off in November 2025, uncovered that the employee bypassed internal procedures, notably by waiving the mandatory 225-euro tax stamp for each file, causing a financial loss of 3,600 euros. While the defendant admitted to the facts, citing humanitarian motives and personal distress, no evidence of corruption was found, as he received no monetary payment beyond occasional meals. Consequently, the court has issued a permanent ban on his professional activities within the prefecture.