French town fined $6,500 for refusing to marry Algerian facing deportation
A French court ordered a Seine-et-Marne municipality to pay 6,000 euros after it initially refused to marry an Algerian man under expulsion order to a Finnish woman on fraud grounds.
The case centers on a 39-year-old Algerian national under an expulsion order and a 49-year-old Finnish woman who sought to marry in the town of Chessy. The groom had been subject to an obligation to leave French territory since 2022.
Former mayor Olivier Bourjot refused to validate the union after conducting separate interviews with both parties. He concluded that the Algerian man’s primary motivation appeared to be regularizing his immigration status rather than genuine matrimonial intent. Bourjot referred the matter to the prosecutor’s office, but the public prosecutor declined to oppose the marriage, citing that the expulsion order had lapsed because such measures can only be enforced within three years of notification.
Mayor Resigns Rather Than Comply
The judicial court in Meaux first ordered the mayor on December 10 to publish marriage banns within 48 hours and celebrate the wedding before year’s end, threatening a penalty of 500 euros per day for non-compliance. Faced with this directive, Bourjot resigned the same day along with his entire team of deputy mayors, invoking matters of conscience.
The prefecture rejected his resignation in the name of public service continuity. A second injunction followed on January 27, this time carrying a daily fine of 3,000 euros. The banns were finally published on February 26, and Bourjot’s successor, Cyril Marsaud, conducted the ceremony in April, though with evident reluctance.
Marsaud made clear his position had not changed, telling media that nobody has changed their mind about this marriage being insincere, but that the municipality ultimately had to respect court orders when facing mounting financial penalties.
Political Backlash and Non-Cohabitation
The case drew sharp political commentary. Éric Zemmour declared on social media that the 6,000 euros should finance a one-way ticket for the illegal immigrant back to Algeria.
During a May 12 hearing on liquidating the penalty, the couple had sought 15,500 euros. The judge ultimately set the amount at 6,000 euros plus 1,500 euros in legal costs.
The municipality’s attorney, Antoine Savignat, argued for a reduction by citing reporting that revealed the couple does not live together. The Finnish wife returned to Finland after learning she had breast cancer, while her husband remains in Paris staying with friends as he awaits a residence permit. Because the marriage was registered using a Chessy address, Savignat indicated the possibility of referring the matter back to prosecutors based on potential false domicile declaration in the marriage certificate.
The case highlights ongoing tensions between local officials who suspect immigration fraud and judicial authorities who enforce procedural marriage rights regardless of suspected motivations.
With information from Valeurs Actuelles
