The appeal of Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti to obtain the hearing of Attorney General François Molins has been put on hold until the end of the procedure aimed at him at the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR), said Wednesday 12 January a judicial source requested by AFP.
Read also Eric Dupond-Moretti's response to the dissatisfaction of the magistrates
The Keeper of the Seals, indicted on July 16 for "
illegal taking of interest
", wanted the Attorney General at the Court of Cassation François Molins to be heard by the three magistrates of the investigative committee of the CJR. This request was rejected by the same magistrates on August 17, then on September 16 on appeal. The Court of Cassation quashed the decision on December 21 for procedural reasons. The defense had therefore lodged a new appeal to contest the refusal of the CJR to hear François Molins.
But the highest court of the judiciary refused on January 5 to immediately consider this appeal.
The Court had taken the same decision concerning a previous appeal by Eric Dupond-Moretti who notably challenged his indictment.
If the CJR proceedings result in the Minister being referred to trial, his lawyers will then be able to decide whether or not to support these two remedies.
Read also Eric Dupond-Moretti invites himself into the campaign
An essential witness for the "
manifestation of the truth
"
The defense of the Keeper of the Seals demanded the hearing of François Molins, considering his testimony as essential "
for the manifestation of the truth
". The minister's lawyers are based on a phone call, in mid-September 2020, from Véronique Malbec, chief of staff of Éric Dupond-Moretti, to François Molins, also president of the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM). Their conversation focused on the follow-up to be given to a first report from the General Inspectorate of Justice (IGJ) on the functioning of the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF).
The Attorney General then informed Véronique Malbec that the referral to the IGJ seemed more appropriate than that of the CSM, no disciplinary fault of the magistrates having been noted.
It was a "
procedural reminder of principle
" and not advice, then explained François Molins in a letter to the CJR.
Éric Dupond-Moretti is particularly suspected of having taken advantage of his position to settle accounts with three PNF magistrates by ordering an administrative investigation against them in September 2020. These magistrates had had the detailed telephone bills ("
fadettes
") of several lawyers, including Me Éric Dupond-Moretti, long before he became minister, in an investigation around Nicolas Sarkozy.
