Robert Ménard tried for refusing marriage to an Algerian under OQTF
Quick Look
- The mayor of Béziers Robert Ménard will be judged on September 30 for having refused in July 2023 to celebrate the marriage of Mustafa B., Algerian under OQTF, and Eva M., French.
- The couple finally got married in Algeria and the transcription of their act was recognized by the Nantes civil registry.
- Ménard faces up to 5 years in prison and a €75,000 fine.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Robert Ménard, mayor of Béziers, refused in July 2023 to celebrate the marriage of Mustafa B., an Algerian subject to an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF), and Eva M., of French nationality, suspecting a sham marriage. The couple was finally able to get married in Algeria three years later, and their act was transcribed by the civil registry in Nantes.
For Robert Ménard, there was “no question” of celebrating in his town hall the marriage of an Algerian subject to an obligation to leave the territory (OQTF) and his partner of French nationality. Three years after his refusal, Mustafa B. and Eva M. finally got married in Bir El Djir, in Algeria, as confirmed to Le Figaro by the couple's lawyer, Me Vanessa Edberg. According to the wife, contacted by Midi Libre, this marriage certificate, which was transcribed by the Nantes civil registry on August 24, was “recognized by French law”.
“Eva has been away from her lover and the man who raised her children for 3 years, it’s a long time,” the couple’s lawyer told BFMTV. If she is pleased that “justice has prevailed”, she indicates that the road is still long for Mustafa who will have to “go through a visa application”. Returning to the significant media coverage of this affair, the lawyer affirmed that “these two people are neither a slogan, nor a campaign argument, nor the instruments of a political debate on immigration” but “two human beings” who were refused a marriage in July 2023.
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Robert Ménard will be tried on September 30
After refusing to celebrate this marriage, Robert Ménard was summoned by the courts in February 2025 as part of an appearance procedure on prior admission of guilt (CRPC), also called “plead guilty”. With the Montpellier prosecutor, he rejected this proposal and was therefore called to appear before the criminal court for his judgment on September 30.
Since the start of the affair, the elected official from Béziers has stuck to his guns, suspecting a sham marriage and refusing on principle to marry “a guy who is in an illegal situation”. If, at the end of his trial, he risks up to 5 years in prison, a fine of €75,000 and a sentence of ineligibility, Ménard announced that he would “never accept” a sanction that would go “beyond” the symbolic. He received the support of several right-wing political figures and even Emmanuel Macron, who, during a television program in May 2025, described this situation as “ubiquitous”.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Robert Ménard will be sentenced by the Montpellier criminal court on September 30, 2025.
Likely · Within days
Open Questions
- What will be the exact verdict of the Montpellier criminal court on September 30?
- Will Mustafa B. obtain a visa to join his wife in France after the transcribed marriage?
- Will this affair influence the practices of mayors regarding mixed marriages with illegal foreigners?
