At the Court of Justice of the Republic,
For almost four hours this Tuesday, Eric Dupond-Moretti kept repeating it: since July 6, 2020, the day he was appointed to the Ministry of Justice and put away his lawyer’s robe, this life is “behind” him. To hear him say, Acquittator – as he was nicknamed – is just a distant memory. Three and a half years away from the courtrooms did not, however, make him lose his banter and his chatter. Except this time, it’s himself he must defend. For the first time, a serving minister is tried before the Court of Justice of the Republic. He is suspected of having used his position to settle scores with magistrates – a former investigating judge and three magistrates from the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) – with whom he had disagreements when he was a lawyer.
“When I return to the ministry, I don’t have saliva on my lips or the desire to take revenge,” says Eric Dupond-Moretti. Especially since he assures us, he “doesn’t care” about these matters. He is even the “youngest of [ses] worries” when he took office at Place Vendôme three years ago. He then has “a thousand things to do”. Take note of all the files, compose your cabinet and even “purchase ties”. Throughout the morning, the defendant insists, almost to excess: if he masters the workings of justice, he is totally ignorant of the functioning of a ministry and the administration. “I’ll give you an example,” he confides on the stand. One morning I arrive and I say “hey, it would be good if we did that”. And they tell me: “it’s not constitutional”. I then say “well, we give up”, I don’t impose things. »
“I inherit two procedures that I did not request”
This is one of his lines of defense: the ex-lawyer who became a minister insists that he only followed his administration. Moreover, he recalls, the cases for which he is implicated were initiated by his predecessor, Nicole Belloubet. “I inherit two procedures that I did not ask for. » However, it is his office which will carry out these administrative investigations. “My administration is pushing me to carry out investigations,” he assures, referring in particular to the case of the PNF. However, the investigation carried out by Nicole Belloubet actually revealed dysfunctions, but no fault. And why did his ministry reveal the names of the three targeted magistrates? “An open secret,” he retorts.
Firm, President Dominique Pauthe questions him tirelessly. Did he not see the conflict of interest coming? “But what would have been my interest? “It would still be necessary for someone to explain it to me,” says Eric Dupond-Moretti. And why did his former firm take almost two months to send the list of his former clients? His ex-partner was probably overwhelmed. Eric Dupond-Moretti swears that in any case, for him, the “caesura was clear”. How can we explain that he did not immediately request a “deportation” so that the Prime Minister would be in charge of files that could pose problems? Quite simply because he didn’t know it existed, he swears. The first decree will take place on October 23, three and a half months after his appointment.
“An instrumentalization against me”
If he remains relatively calm all morning, Eric Dupond-Moretti cannot help but multiply his attacks against François Molins – to say that the two men do not like each other is an understatement – or the magistrates’ unions , speaking of “relentlessness” against him. “This procedure is being used against me.”
In the majestic decor of the courtroom, tension rises a notch when the attorney general, Rémy Heitz, returns to the alerts launched by the magistrates’ unions. From mid-September 2020, several press releases were published. All remained unanswered. “It’s lunar,” the Minister of Justice exclaims. The unions asked me to stop an investigation initiated by my predecessor, but it is totally illegal! It’s called an abuse of power! »
The Attorney General returns again and again to the points that are annoying. What about this deportation decree issued at the end of October? “Is it true that there is a conflict of interest? », asks the magistrate. “It’s completely false,” retorts the Minister of Justice, without continuing. The trial is scheduled to last until next Friday.