Victories? Patrick Balkany racked them up. For 35 years, he won almost every election, reigning supreme over Levallois-Perret. But far beyond the borders of his small town west of Paris, he experienced power and glory alongside his mentors Charles Pasqua and Jacques Chirac.

And his lifelong friend? Nicolas Sarkozy. But the politician also became a money-grubber, and he ended up getting burned. Tax fraud, money laundering, corruption—today, the charges against him are multiplying, even though, to date, Patrick Balkany remains presumed innocent. Judge Van Ruymbeche of the financial crimes unit accuses him of embezzling 13 million euros, taking advantage of his position as an elected official to enrich himself. After the rise, the conquest, the fortune, could this be the beginning of the fall? This is the saga we are going to tell you. From Levallois to Saint-Martin, by way of Marrakech, we spoke with those who know him well: his former associate Didier Schuller, his friend Nadine Morano, and the producer Stéphane Collaro. Patrick Balkany also speaks out after five years of silence.

He agreed to grant us an exclusive interview.