“It is a Marshall plan for Marseille justice that we are announcing”, affirmed the Keeper of the Seals during a speech in front of magistrates and the heads of jurisdiction of the second city of France.
"In Marseille, as everywhere in France, justice needs resources," added the minister, welcoming having obtained a "budget increase of 30% over this five-year term" at the national level.
Faced with the lack of space at the Marseilles court, the third largest in France - the largest after Paris and Bobigny - and the forced splitting of its activities into six sites, Mr. Dupond-Moretti promised a new judicial city of 2028, with new construction on 40,000 square meters.
"The construction of a new courthouse is necessary," insisted the minister.
For months, the president of the Marseilles judicial court Olivier Leurent and the prosecutor Dominique Laurens have also been warning about the lack of human resources in this jurisdiction which has the largest social center in France but also very broad powers to judge criminal cases. organized and environmental damage.
Marseille officially has a staff of 118 judges and 46 magistrates for the prosecution.
The Keeper of the Seals announced that in 2023 the court will have 139 judges, including four on a three-year objective and means contract, and the prosecution of 56 magistrates, without specifying the share of permanent additional positions.
French Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti during his visit to the Marseille judicial court, August 24, 2021 CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU AFP / Archives
He also announced 10 clerk positions for 2022.
"Marseille had fallen behind such that we were on the edge of the precipice. We benefit from an essential catch-up, it is a considerable effort", reacted the president of the court Olivier Leurent, who had alerted in the past on the risk of a "denial of justice" if the means were not reinforced.
The mayor of Marseille, the socialist Benoît Payan, who met the Minister of Justice, welcomed "the historic reinforcements obtained from the Keeper of the Seals" which, according to him, mark "a concrete response to the expectations of the town hall and the world judicial".
“Obviously it is good that there are new positions, but it is not enough”, reacted for its part the Syndicate of the magistrature (SM, classified on the left) by regretting that there are “ big forgotten" like the "children's court, bloodless", or the civil pole "in daily contact with the needs of the citizens, (...) which will not be reinforced".
“We also have big questions about the long-term nature of the positions advertised, are they real creations”, added Laurence Buisson, member of this Union, stressing that “10 clerks is derisory, the needs are assessed at 25".
In a joint press release with the SM, the Union of Lawyers of France (SAF) denounced an "electionist" visit, "announced the day before", and "announcements still far from the reality of the needs of the Marseilles jurisdiction, of its professionals and its litigants".
© 2022 AFP