Corruption allegations stir up a storm in the port of St Tropez

AN ULTRA-CHIC members-only “lounge club” that has only just opened in St Tropez is already at the centre of corruption allegations.

The mayor has had to deny claims by a local councillor that the municipality breached the rules over competitive bids to furnish the exclusive Mediterranean club.

A terrace bar at the club offers a panoramic view of the resort favoured by celebrities and the super-rich. The club, founded by the mayor, Jeanpierre Tuveri, charges an entrance fee of nearly £5,000 in addition to annual membership fees of £2,200.

Vérane Guérin, the councillor at the centre of the allegations, demanded the Prefect investigate suspected “misallocation of public contracts”. She claims the town’s authorities accepted “illegal donations” to equip the club, some from companies that charter yachts berthed there. The mayor denied any wrongdoing and said the acquisition of furniture and fittings had been “validated by the lawyer for the city”.

He said: “As we didn’t know if the club was going to be a success, we wanted to avoid investing large sums in furnishings. That’s why we accepted donations. Had [the club] failed, we would have been accused of wasting public money.”

Benefactors included Jean-michel Aulas, chairman of Olympique Lyonnais football club, and Philippe Ghanem, a Swiss-lebanese financier, who between them contributed more than £100,000.