The Ministry of Justice raided for an investigation targeting Eric Dupond-Moretti

Published on : 07/01/2021 – 4:25 PM

Unprecedented situation at the Ministry of Justice in Paris. The Keeper of the Seals, Eric Dupond-Moretti, is in the sights of the judges who launched, Thursday 1^er July, a search of Place Vendôme to investigate suspicions of “illegal taking of interests” of the former tenor of the bar.

A judicial investigation for illegal taking of interests was opened last January against the Minister of Justice because of his former activities as a lawyer, and the investigating committee of the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) was capture.

This investigation follows the complaints lodged by the Anticor association and two magistrates’ unions, the Magistrates’ Union and the Magistrates’ Union, as well as a report from the magistrates union SNM FO.

It mainly concerns the decision to open an administrative investigation against magistrates of the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) who ordered the examination of the “fadettes” of Eric Dupond-Moretti, when he was a lawyer, in the so-called “case of” wiretaps “involving Nicolas Sarkozy.

The entourage of the Minister of Justice confirmed the search of the Chancellery. According to this source close to Eric Dupond-Moretti, the former lawyer “is serene in the face of this procedure for which he has always said to have exclusively followed the recommendations of his services composed of magistrates”.

“Breach of professional secrecy”

The source deplores, however, that the operation was announced Tuesday by Le Canard Enchaîné, which “constitutes a violation of the secrecy of the investigation”. “We also regret the publicity immediately given to the progress of this measure, a new violation of secrecy.”

After the revelation of the examination of his fadettes, Eric Dupond-Moretti had filed a complaint for violation of the secrecy of correspondence and violation of professional secrecy.

Became Keeper of the Seals in July 2020, the criminal lawyer withdrew this complaint but an administrative investigation was subsequently opened against the three magistrates.

This ended last March with the decision of the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, to refer the cases of Eliane Houlette, former head of the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF), and Patrice Amar to the Superior Council of the Judiciary, the current first vice-financial prosecutor, for suspected disciplinary or breach of ethics.

Jean Castex “considered that no ethical breach had been found in the professional behavior” of Ulrika-Lovisa Delaunay-Weiss, assistant financial prosecutor, third magistrate targeted by the administrative investigation, and “decided on the classification of the procedure concerning her “.

With Reuters