The Paris police prefect and senior magistrates targeted by an investigation for "false testimony"
The Paris police prefect, Didier Lallement on December 30, 2019 (illustrative image).
© AP - Christophe Ena
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The prefect of police Didier Lallement and senior magistrates have been targeted since mid-December by an investigation by the Nanterre public prosecutor's office for “false testimony” pronounced during hearings at the National Assembly on the independence of the judiciary.
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Among the people targeted by this investigation, in addition to the Paris police prefect, are the president of the Paris court of appeal Jean-Michel Hayat, the Paris prosecutor general Catherine Champrenault, the Paris prosecutor Rémy Heitz as well as the former prosecutor of the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) Eliane Houlette.
To date, no accused has been summoned as part of this disoriented investigation in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine), said the prosecution.
In September 2020, Ugo Bernalicis, LFI chairman of the commission of inquiry on the independence of justice at the National Assembly, accused seven senior officials - prosecutors, prefect, director of the national police - of "false testimony" and "Perjury" before parliamentarians, pronounced during a commission of inquiry on the obstacles to the independence of the judiciary.
He then seized the public prosecutor of Paris, Rémy Heitz, targeted in the first place by one of these reports.
In one of Ugo Bernalicis' letters to justice, the deputy points to an internal note on the fate of "yellow vests" arrested, while Rémy Heitz assured to have "
signed no document giving instructions to (his) colleagues
" .
An offense punishable by five years' imprisonment
Asked about this within the framework of a commission on the maintenance of order at the end of November, Rémy Heitz affirmed that the mentioned document "
was not a note from the prosecutor but a practical document sent to the magistrates on duty
".
"
To be reproached for this type of thing, which is part of a functioning and a daily professional practice, is sometimes discouraging
", the magistrate still defended.
Paris police chief Didier Lallement
is accused of not having told the truth when he said he had not "
found the organizers
" of unauthorized police demonstrations in June.
False testimony is punishable by five years' imprisonment and a fine of 75,000 euros, but convictions for false testimony are extremely rare, as case law requires demonstrating a clear intention to deceive parliamentarians.
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