A. Justice Minister to sit dock of the accused. The situation is worthy of an imaginary fourth season of the series Baron NoirBut this is the reality facing the French Government this week. It started this Monday Republic Court of Justice (C.J.R.) The trial of Éric Dupond-MorettiHead of government of the judicial institution since summer 2020. A media lawyer in the past and a controversial minister today is accused of this crime. conflict of interest Allegedly taking revenge on judges he had clashed with in the past. Is that it? A lawsuit was filed against the Minister of Justice In the history of the Fifth Republic.
“It makes no sense for a minister to have his hierarchical subordinates support the accusations made against him! Beyond the Franco-French prism, What kind of image will we create abroad?“He complained about a judge in his comments to the progressive newspaper Liberation. The situation is surreal: for two weeks (until November 17) a minister will face off against the officials he directed.
This process will not only further damage the Government’s image, Emmanuel Macron — Up to 17 ministers or foreign ministers affected works since 2017 – but the French justice system has also been accused of being too benign towards the powerful. Established in 1993, the CJR is the special court responsible for prosecuting members of the executive branch for crimes committed while performing their duties. is being formed three judges Supreme Court and 12 MPs (four from Macron’s party, four from the Republican right, two from the left, one from the conservative UDI and one from Marine Le Pen’s far right).
Allegedly “revenge” mood
“For me and my loved ones this process is a disgraceDuring the first hearing of the hearing in the afternoon, Dupond-Moretti said: “I accepted that they disgraced me so that neither my ministry nor my administration would be tarnished,” he added. They especially blame the minister, 62 years Disciplinary investigation launched against four judges He encountered situations that he encountered while working as a lawyer.
These measures, allegedly taken with the intention of “revenge”, also affected the public opinion. Monaco Investigative Judge Edouard LevraultInvestigating Russian billionaire Dmitri RybolovlevHe is the owner of the AS Monaco football team and a police officer in the principality, both of whom are legally recommended by Dupond-Moretti. On the other hand, disciplinary investigations were initiated against him. three members of the national financial prosecutor’s officeIn the past, he investigated the current Minister of Justice within the framework of the criminal phone tapping case. The old president Nicolas Sarkozy and his lawyer Thierry Herzog, both close to Dupond-Moretti.
All of these disciplinary actions were rejected by the Supreme Council of the Judiciary. “Justice Minister found himself in a situation of objective conflict of interest“, he stated last year, the body responsible for ensuring the independence of the judiciary against the executive. In France, the crime of conflict of interest is five years imprisonment, disqualification And fines Maximum 500,000 Euros. The Prime Minister assured that Dupon-Moretti would have to resign if found guilty: Elisabeth BorneThe decision to keep him on duty during the trial sparked widespread criticism.
media lawyer
Before his appointment as minister in July 2020, Dupond-Moretti was one of France’s best-known lawyers for his work defending France. Abdulkadir Merah -brother of jihadist Mohamed Merah- or Karim Benzema There is also the case of luxury prostitute Zahia, among many other cases that have had a great impact in the media. His appointment was highly criticized by the unions and judge organizations with which he has tense relations.
“Despite all warnings, Dupond-Moretti did not take measures to distance himself from conflicts of interest in these two cases. He consciously encouraged administrative investigations against these judges, which he should have avoided,” the judges said. speech training. The minister, who encouraged these disciplinary processes just a month after taking office, defends himself by claiming that he did so on the advice of his administration. He condemns the investigating judges for encouraging this judicial process. “to tarnish his reputation as a lawyer“.
They will try him at the end of the month after the Dupond-Moretti case. Minister of Labor Olivier DussoptHe was accused of nepotism in 2009 when he was mayor of Annonay (middle east). These cases overlap with the trial of François Bayrou, former Minister of Justice and one of Macron’s first allies, in the context of an alleged conspiracy of fake parliamentary assistants in the European Parliament. A series of scandals led to Macron’s initial “model republic“. Since 2017 this ideal has been diluted by succession. worksas well as several measures promoted to combat corruption.