10 Facts About Gilles Simeoni

Gilles Simeoni was mayor of Bastia from 2014 to 2016 and has been president of the executive council of Corsica since 2015.

Notably, Simeoni served as the Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna's lawyer at his trial for the assassination of Claude Erignac.

Gilles Simeoni is the son of Edmond Simeoni and the nephew of Max Simeoni.

Gilles Simeoni has a masters in law and a doctorate in political science specializing in Mediterranean Politics in the European Union which he received after his studies at the university of Corsica and Aix-en-Provence.

Gilles Simeoni began practicing law on 27 October 1994 and was one of the best known criminal lawyers in Corsica.

Gilles Simeoni was one of Yvan Colonna's lawyers at his trial for the assassination of Claude Erignac and in 2010 he was listed as one of the thirty most powerful lawyers in France by the magazine GQ6.

Gilles Simeoni was first politically active when he was at university, having been an active member of his student union.

In 2007 Gilles Simeoni ran to represent Haute-Corse's 2nd constituency.

Notably Gilles Simeoni rebuked Giacobbi calling his behavior in the Assembly a form of electoral clientelism and compared him to the Roman god Janus implying that his governing style was ambivalent.

Gilles Simeoni has three children and describes himself as a non-practicing Catholic.