Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said Monday July 19 to be "
more determined than ever
" to remain in office, reacting for the first time after his indictment on Friday for illegal taking of interests.
Read also: The Dupond-Moretti case, new proof of the worrying criminalization of public life
“
I am more determined than ever to be fully Minister of Justice (...) Nothing will undermine my determination, I am extremely calm.
My legitimacy, I get it from the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister
”, he declared on the sidelines of a trip to Beauvais on the deployment of telephones“
serious danger
”for victims of domestic violence.
"
As a litigant, like everyone else, I have lawyers who will assert my rights and as a minister, I am one hundred percent in the task that is mine,
" he added.
Indictment for illegal taking of interests
After nearly six hours of questioning by the investigating committee of the Court of Justice of the Republic - the only jurisdiction empowered to prosecute and judge ministers for offenses committed in the performance of their duties - Eric Dupond -Moretti was indicted on Friday for illegal taking of interests, without judicial review.
In this case, the minister is suspected of having taken advantage of his position to settle accounts with magistrates with whom he had trouble with when he was a lawyer, which he refutes.
To read also: Before Dupond-Moretti, what other ministers have already faced an indictment?
"
I am accused of having seized the General Inspectorate of Justice composed of independent magistrates following procedures initiated by my predecessor Nicole Belloubet
", he defended himself. "
Before seizing the General Inspectorate of Justice, I consulted my services and in particular the ethics office of judicial services
" which "
asked me to seize the General Inspectorate of Justice, which I have fact
”, he insisted again, adding that“
one of the highest magistrates of this country, the Attorney General (François Molins), also asked us to seize the General Inspectorate of Justice.
"