After a week of hearings, the indictment was held on Wednesday, November 15 in the afternoon at the unprecedented trial of Eric Dupond-Moretti, before the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR). At the end of this two-voice indictment, with Advocate General Philippe Lagauche, Rémy Heitz, Attorney General at the Court of Cassation, asked the CJR “to declare Eric Dupond-Moretti guilty of the acts of illegal taking of interest with which he is accused”. Both requested a one-year suspended prison sentence against the Minister of Justice.
Rémy Heitz asked the CJR to declare Mr. Dupond-Moretti ” guilty “, but regarding the penalty of ineligibility, normally mandatory in the event of conviction, he told the Court that it could “to dispense with it” by relying on his ” wisdom “. The Minister of Justice is tried for “illegal taking of interest”. He is suspected of having used his functions to settle scores with magistrates whom he had criticized when he was a lawyer, which he strongly contests.
More than 144 hours of trial
The indictment was held after 144 hours of trial. Mr. Heitz spoke first, shortly after 2 p.m., ensuring that “it is indeed the values of the Republic and the rules it sets itself that are at issue before this court”. “When I took my oath as a magistrate thirty-five years ago I would never have imagined” have to request against “a serving minister of justice”declared the senior magistrate.
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“I appreciate, Mr. Minister, the ordeal that this represents for you, who are very accustomed to the courtrooms”continued Rémy Heitz to the address of the former lawyer. “Seeing you there, in civilian clothes, among us, while we are in dresses, does not please anyone”he assured, before adding: “It’s a difficult exercise for me, and I don’t get any personal satisfaction from it. »
At the hearing, in the morning, on the sidelines of the hearing of the last two witnesses, the president, Dominique Pauthe, questioned Eric Dupond-Moretti again on the subject. “What more do you want me to tell you?”said the minister, adding: “I have expressed myself at length, I am not going to repeat. (…) I have always said that I did not have the feeling of being in a conflict of interest, that I had no desire to settle scores with anyone. »
The Keeper of the Seals had considered not appearing in the morning before the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) to go to the Council of Ministers, but he ultimately did not miss a day of hearing.
During this trial, Eric Dupond-Moretti returned to his habit as a lawyer, letting nothing slip and subjecting the prosecution’s witnesses to a background of grumbling and exasperated sighs. “Sorry, I’m a little excited”, he apologized to the court. Same treatment for the accusation and its “leading questions”: “everything is up to you”declared the former star lawyer with thirty-six years of experience at the bar.
The minister’s defense will speak on Thursday.