The government has terminated the functions of Michel Vilbois, the prefect of Tarn, effective Monday, July 22. Vilbois, known for his firm stance against the A69 motorway demonstrations, has faced accusations of 'brutal' management. His dismissal follows an audit conducted by the General Inspection of Administration (IGA), though the results are not yet public.
An agent from the prefecture described the termination as the 'end of a nightmare' and a 'relief for many agents,' citing Vilbois' authoritarian and brutal management style, which caused significant psychological suffering among civil servants. Appointed in the fall of 2023, Vilbois reportedly brought with him a pattern of 'movements, violent gestures, outbursts of voices, and slamming doors.'
Vilbois, previously the prefect of Haute-Saône, faces further accusations of 'harassment' and 'humiliation' towards his collaborators. Eric Bellouni, secretary general of the Departmental Union of Force Ouvrière, noted a sense of relief among the prefecture teams following the decision to dismiss Vilbois. Bellouni added that the situation within the prefecture was 'very tense and difficult to live with.'
A second union source confirmed Vilbois' tendency to speak rudely and exhibit relatively authoritarian behavior. Neither Vilbois nor the Ministry of the Interior responded to requests for comments.
Vilbois was a controversial figure, particularly among opponents of the A69 Toulouse-Castres motorway project. Environmental defense associations criticized his intransigence and the muscular police response to demonstrators. In a meeting with journalists at the end of April, Vilbois asserted that the State was 'even more determined' than the demonstrators regarding the motorway project.
