But it seems that the Belgian (though he was actually born in France) is not as above board as one would hope. He owes some 500000 euros to a Spanish company which has obtained an order to seize and sell his assets in France - including part of the village.
Villagers accuse the maire of trying to keep details of the sale at auction quiet so he and fellow councillors can snap up some bargains. But locals fear the houses will be bought by a housing group, exacerbating the problems. The maire has resigned after 45 years in office, saying he just wanted to pre-empt the sales to keep them safe for the village. M. Didier Thiry, the owner, arrived in a black chauffeur driven Maserati, to explain that he was about to pay the debt and no sale would take place.
A suivre....
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