The Paris public prosecutor's office is again asking for the referral to correctional purposes of the former boss of the Paris PJ and of 12 other people in the case of leaks at "
36
" which had shaken the police institution in 2015, according to a source close to the file, confirming information from the Parisian.
Read also: Leaks at 36 quai des Orfèvres: the investigation is over
Bernard Petit is suspected of having, via intermediaries, informed the founder of GIGN Christian Prouteau before his police custody at the end of 2014 in a tortuous affair of fraud and influence peddling, also involving Christophe de Rocancourt, nicknamed "
the" crook of the stars
”. In turn, the case had also led to the fall of Joaquin Masanet, a figure of police unionism then at the head of Anas, the association which manages the social works of the police.
The indictments, on February 5, 2015, of the director of the judicial police, his chief of staff Richard Atlan and Joaquin Masanet had a resounding echo.
Three years later, the investigation had led to the first requisitions of the prosecution, which demanded a trial against Bernard Petit and Richard Atlan for "
violation of the secrecy of the investigation
" and "
revelation of information on an investigation
" for the benefit of Christian Prouteau.
Vast system of corruption
The investigation, as revealed by Le Parisien, had however been relaunched in 2019 to verify the statements of one of the indicted, who accused Joaquin Masanet of having benefited from leaks from one of the investigating judges. Three years later, "
no additional convincing element likely to interest the investigation emerged from these investigations
", writes the Paris prosecutor's office in its requisitions of March 27, consulted by AFP. The public prosecutor thus refers to its opinion of April 12, 2018 which retains "
all topicality and relevance
".
The investigations had brought to light in particular a vast system of corruption around Jo Masanet, suspected of having monetized his interventions by taking advantage of his influence in the upper echelons of the administration. The prosecution demands that he be tried for "
influence peddling
" and "
aggravated breach of trust
", accusing him of having embezzled more than 470,000 euros from the Anas coffers via overbilling and nearly 60,000 euros in costs of improper mouth.
The heart of the case, the fraud case involving Christian Prouteau, had for its part been disjointed. The former gendarme, Christophe de Rocancourt, his partner, his ex-lawyer, a notary and the former Socialist Secretary of State Kofi Yamgnane should have been tried in 2020, but the trial had been postponed due to a pandemic. Scheduled to be held from May 31, the trial could again be postponed. According to a source close to the case, the prosecution would consider joining the two procedures again.
