Neither "lax" nor "ultra-repressive", the new Keeper of the Seals Eric Dupond-Moretti defends justice close to the citizens. He has already set goals, focusing his priorities on the fight against domestic violence, firmness in the face of terrorism, and wishes to implement reforms of the prosecution and juvenile justice. In an interview with the Journal du dimanche (JDD), the Minister of Justice admits that in 600 days, he will not be able to do everything, so he will go "instinctively", with "ideas" and the awareness of a man who "owes everything to the Republic".
"I have always defended men, not causes"
"As a lawyer, I have always defended men for causes. This time again, I went there for men", explains Eric Dupond-Moretti to the JDD on the reasons for his change this course at 59 years. Swapped his lawyer robe for the minister's tie keeping him in his case. However, his arrival at Place Vendôme was not unanimously applauded, it aroused as much surprise as concern and even distrust within the judiciary and among feminist associations, scalded by his critics of the #MeToo movement.
"Domestic violence"
"I want the men suspected of domestic violence, if they are not referred, to be summoned by the prosecutor and receive a solemn judicial warning". One of his main struggles will therefore be domestic violence. "I have already been told that it could offend the presumption of innocence: I showed my teeth ... It is not a conviction, it is the way to show a man that justice is attentive and that it does not let anything pass, "he asserts.
"The creation of posts for Justice"
Eric Dupond-Moretti affirms it, it will be neither "laxist", nor "ultra-repressive". To those who accuse him of wanting to target prisons, or on the contrary to fill them, he confirms: "I would be neither one nor the other". After having surveyed the courts for more than 30 years, the Minister of Justice is well placed to recognize the immense "need for means of the courts". He also claims to have already obtained insurance for the 2021 budget. "Increasing the pace of the creation of posts for Justice" will be another of his fights.
"Terrorism"
While the Senate will soon examine a controversial test providing "security measures" for those sentenced after their sentence, Eric Dupond-Moretti confesses that his "thinking has evolved". On terrorism, "I have always opposed security detention as envisaged by President Sarkozy, because it sent people to prison not for what they had done but for what they were likely to do to do in the future, "he says. But he says he is "totally in favor" of imposing the wearing of an electronic bracelet "for people who have been convicted of acts of terrorism", people who "in any case" would be "watched by our intelligence services".