Mayor and administrator of the Écrins national park, Jean-Marie Barral was on trial, with his son, for having killed deer and ibexes. The matter is all the more serious as its municipality is a member of the park, therefore supposed to be a sanctuary for this fragile and threatened fauna.
This astonishing contradiction created a stir among environmental associations last November, during his custody. The investigation takes a family turn because his son Hervé Barral is also accused of multiple acts of poaching in and around the town.