Chantal Arens and François Molins, the two highest magistrates in France, have in turn criticized the policy led by Eric Dupond-Moretti in a column published Tuesday on the "World" site.
The divorce seems consummated between the judiciary and the Keeper of the Seals.
The tension rises a notch between the judges and Eric Dupond-Moretti.
For several days, magistrates from all over France have denounced the policy pursued by the Minister of Justice, including the disputed opening of an investigation targeting three prosecutors from the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF).
The two highest magistrates of France, Chantal Arens, first president of the Court of Cassation, and François Molins, attorney general at the Court of cassation, in turn stepped up to the plate Tuesday in an article published by
Le Monde
.
"The magistrates are today legitimately worried about the unprecedented situation in which the institution finds itself since the Keeper of the Seals (...) referred the General Inspectorate of Justice to an administrative investigation against three PNF magistrates in charge of a procedure which had concerned him, "wrote the two senior magistrates.
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They say "regret the breach" of the presumption of innocence
The rag has been burning between the Minister of Justice and the magistrates since the former asked for an investigation of PNF prosecutors, accused of having peeled in 2014 the detailed telephone records ("fadettes") of tenors of the bar, including Eric Dupond-Moretti.
This measure had been ordered by the PNF to try to identify the "mole" who could have informed Nicolas Sarkozy and his lawyer Thierry Herzog, friend of the current Minister of Justice, that they were wiretapped in an investigation for suspicion corruption of a magistrate.
"We can only regret the breach of the principle of presumption of innocence of the magistrates concerned, mentioned by name in a press release published on September 18, even before the start of the investigations," said Chantal Arens and François Molins.
"Let those who criticize continue to criticize. Let those who chronicle continue to chronicle. I work, that's all I have to say", reacted Eric Dupond-Moretti, on the sidelines of the presentation of the draft budget of his ministry.
"What such and such can write in such and such a duck, in such and such chronicle or on such and such a television set, that does not interest me, that does not interest me any more", he insisted.
Magistrates appeal to Emmanuel Macron
Last week, several hundred magistrates gathered across France, especially in Bordeaux, Marseille or Lille, to denounce the policies of Eric Dupond-Moretti.
The judges also did not digest the statements of the Keeper of the Seals on "the culture of interpersonal skills" at the National School of Magistrates (ENM).
His decision to choose for the first time a lawyer to lead the ENM had already aroused an outcry within the profession.
Latest episode of this open war: the magistrates of several courts on Monday called Emmanuel Macron to "act" to enforce "the independence of the judicial authority".
Motions have been adopted in several courts, including Metz and Nantes, echoing similar approaches taken in recent days in Marseille, Mulhouse, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand or Agen.