“In a few years, Agde has become a huge money-making machine”
In 2001, at the age of 32, Gilles d’Ettore becomes the mayor of Agde: “Ultimately, simplicity paid off, and above all honesty and truth.” For 20 years, he ruled the city, consolidating his power through a skillful mix of major projects and favors. Jean-Pierre, a journalist for Midi Libre, recounts: “When we had a problem, we would go see him and then it would get resolved.”
From 2020 onwards, a shift occurs: “Behind the local baron lingered an intimate wound, the death of his father from which he never recovered.” A close friend advises him to go see Sophia, a psychic from Alsace, renowned in the city of Agde: “There were a lot of people who went to see her, including elected officials.“
“The voice asks him to call her dad”
In the spring of 2020, Gilles d’Ettore meets the psychic and ends up consulting her more and more often: “Each session calms him, as if the connection with his father is coming back to life.” One evening on the phone, a deep voice emerges: “She claims to be a guardian angel and asks him to call her dad.” Over time, the phone conversations with the voice become more intimate, and she starts ordering: “Sophia is a saint, I have chosen her to protect you. You need to help her.“
Gilles d’Ettore uses the city’s money or that of local entrepreneurs to meet Sophia’s demands: “She obtained a kitchen renovation, a building permit for a veranda, the rental of a castle near Agde to celebrate this marriage.” In Gilles d’Ettore’s eyes, this would not be favoritism: “It is a sacred mission entrusted by the Beyond.” One by one, the economic players of Agde find themselves involved and finance the whims of the voice in exchange for favors: “A developer convinced of having cancer, who consulted the psychic, settles the bill through his companies.“
“Her method: she is a ventriloquist”
Geraldine d’Ettore reports her husband’s misadventures and files a complaint: “She explains to the police that she received anonymous calls from a male voice, mentioning very personal aspects of her private life.” On March 14, 2024, Gilles d’Etonne is placed in custody: “A judicial investigation is opened for corruption and abuse of office.” The police reveal a staggering number: “3,375 phone conversations between the mayor and the psychic.” Once in custody, the psychic Sophia confesses everything, and for Gilles d’Ettone, it’s a rude awakening: “The man who ruled Agde for 20 years has just discovered that he was fooled by a ventriloquist.“
On May 31, 2024, he resigns. He and Sophia are placed in provisional detention and then released under surveillance in June 2024. Since then, Gilles d’Ettone has been indicted twice and claims to have been under duress and manipulation. As for Sophia, she denies having exerted any manipulation on the mayor: “The benefits received were decisions freely made by Gilles d’Ettore.“
To this day, the date of the trial has still not been set.
