France's justice minister stands trial
Member of the government and defendant at the same time: France's Minister of Justice Éric Dupond-Moretti must stand trial in Paris on suspicion of abuse of office. The 62-year-old is alleged to have used his ministerial office to take action against judicial officials with whom he had previously clashed during his time as a lawyer. He rejects all accusations.
For example, he had initiated investigations into three high-ranking officials from the financial prosecutor's office who had demanded to see his telephone bills during his time as a lawyer. In another case, he initiated an internal investigation into a former investigating judge who was investigating several of his former clients as part of a corruption affair. No sanctions were ultimately imposed in any of the four cases. Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne once again expressed her confidence in Dupond-Moretti shortly before the start of the trial. She pleaded for him to remain in office during the trial, she told France Inter.
Party leader warns against sham trial
If convicted, Dupond-Moretti faces up to five years in prison and a fine of half a million euros. The fact that he remains in office despite the court proceedings that have now begun has sparked criticism in France. Socialist party leader Olivier Faure warned of a kind of sham trial: after all, the minister is also responsible for the judges and the public prosecutor owes his career to the government camp, he told Radio J.
French President Emmanuel Macron took office with the promise of an "exemplary republic". Initially, the rule was that ministers should resign if they were under investigation. This included Macron's first Minister of Justice, François Bayrou, who resigned after just a few weeks due to a bogus employment affair. There have been increasing exceptions to this rule in subsequent investigations into members of the government.
The Minister of Justice is one of the best-known ministers in the cabinet. During his time as a lawyer, he was known for the high number of acquittals he obtained. His clients included footballer Karim Benzema and billionaire gambler Jérôme Kerviel.
In light of the ongoing trial, Paris serves as the city where France's Justice Minister, Éric Dupond-Moretti, stands accused of abuse of office. Despite being the leader of the Socialist party, Olivier Faure, expresses concerns about a potential sham trial, considering Dupond-Moretti's role in overseeing judges and the public prosecutor having ties to his government camp.
Source: www.ntv.de
