Paris (AFP)
Mediapart, attacked for defamation by the former Minister François de Rugy for one of the articles on his lifestyle and his expenses which had prompted him to resign, was released Friday by the Paris judicial court.
Then Minister of the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, François de Rugy had resigned in July 2019 after a series of revelations: sumptuous dinners organized while he presided over the National Assembly - photos of lobsters and grands crus in support - expensive work in his official accommodation, disputed use of his deputy mandate fees, social housing rented in Nantes.
It was for the only article on this accommodation that François de Rugy - who had become a deputy again - had attacked Mediapart, whose "methods" and "demolition journalism" he had denounced.
François de Rugy sued the online newspaper for defamation against a "citizen in charge of a public mandate", but the court ruled in its decision that the article in question only targeted him as an individual .
The requalification being excluded in terms of the press, he released Mediapart, the director of the publication Edwy Plenel and one of the co-authors of the article, Fabrice Arfi, both also targeted.
"Everything that is written is true", hammered the editor of the newspaper Edwy Plenel, during the hearing of February 11 which François de Rugy had not attended.
"We are very happy that justice effectively protects freedom of expression on subjects of general interest that the public is entitled to know", welcomed the lawyer of the newspaper Emmanuel Tordjman to AFP, in recalling the "250 victories" in libel proceedings since the newspaper's inception.
"Mediapart won his case against François de Rugy. In a month and a half, the newspaper won his cases against Vincent Bolloré, the prosecutor Philippe Courroye, the press boss Hervé Gattegno, the prosecutor Eliane Houlette and a close friend of François Fillon" , for his part reacted on Twitter Fabrice Arfi.
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