A file photo taken on May 7, 2009 shows a group of 31 recently married Chinese couples from the city of Tianjin posing with then Mayor of Tours Jean Germain (PS) in front of townhall of Tours, center France, during the fifth "romantic marriage" event. [Photo/CFP]

PARIS - The Tours city project was simple enough: Lure Chinese couples to get married in the heart of the Loire Valley - romantic French castle country - as a way to boost the area's economic and cultural fortunes.

It soon went awry. First, the project got bogged down in corruption allegations. Then on Tuesday, the scandal took a deadly turn with the apparent suicide of former mayor Jean Germain, as he was to go on trial with four other defendants in a case of alleged kickbacks and misuse of public funds.

Adding to the drama, another key defendant, Lise Han born in Taiwan - who devised the plan and worked at City Hall to drum up Asian business - told investigators that she had had a secret love affair with Germain. One lawyer in the case said the ex-mayor had always denied that claim.

The apparent suicide was likely to cast a pall over the fairytale weddings of some Chinese couples who took up the city's pitch as a romantic getaway spot for tying the knot.

France's body politic was shaken. The Senate, where Germain had a seat as a Socialist senator, held a moment of silence to honor his memory on Tuesday. President Francois Hollande expressed his sadness, saying Germain had taken his own life "because he didn't want his honor sullied."

Prosecutors began looking into the scam in 2011, following news reports noting that the city was luring already married Chinese couples for the fake wedding ceremonies.

Minutes into the trial Tuesday, Germain's lawyer announced that a colleague had found a suicide note. The former mayor's body was found later in town. The court abruptly adjourned until Oct 13.

French TV news reports showed white-suited forensic teams in Tours, and broadcast archive images of Germain giving the traditional French "bise" cheek-kiss to one bride in an ornate ballroom filled with dozens of Asian couples.