“The magistrates' unions had alerted him on numerous occasions.

"The Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti," could have avoided "the situation which led to him being indicted on Friday, estimated the two magistrates' unions at the origin of the complaint which led to the opening of the investigation at the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR).

The case "starts from a conflict of interest which was announced and known, between the functions of lawyer and minister of Eric Dupond-Moretti", declared Christophe Clerc, lawyer of the Union syndicale des magistrats et du Union of the judiciary.

The unions accused Eric Dupond-Moretti for several months of taking advantage of his post as minister to settle accounts in cases in which he was involved as a lawyer, by launching administrative investigations against several magistrates including three from the National Financial Prosecutor's Office.

They ended up filing a complaint in December, which led the CJR, the only jurisdiction empowered to prosecute and judge ministers for offenses committed in the course of their duties, to open an investigation for illegal taking of interests in January.

A "not trivial" decision

The Minister of Justice "took decisions in files concerning him or concerning former clients of his, he should have entrusted these files to the Prime Minister," said Me Clerc. By doing so later, he recognized that there was a conflict of interest ”. Eric Dupond-Moretti ended up entrusting the follow-up of these administrative investigations to the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, in October.

Friday, after a day of questioning the minister at the CJR, Eric Dupond-Moretti's lawyers announced his indictment, a first for a sitting Minister of Justice.

"It is a decision which is not trivial, underlined Me Christophe Clerc.

The event of this decision is that the investigating commission of the CJR recognizes that these facts of conflict of interest, which were known, are likely to constitute a criminal offense ”, he added.

For his part, Eric Dupond-Moretti defends himself from any conflict of interest and rather denounces the political “maneuvers” of unions who would like him to resign.

Jean Castex renewed "all his confidence" in him.

Justice

Illegal acquisition of interests: Two deputies resign from the Court of Justice of the Republic after the summons of Eric Dupond-Moretti

Politics

Taxes: Eric Dupond-Moretti defends himself on the 300,000 euros of missing income in 2019

  • Conflict of interest

  • Eric Dupond-Moretti

  • Justice

  • Indictment