Le Figaro Nice
Searches were conducted this Thursday at the home of the first deputy mayor of Nice, Antony Borré, as well as in the premises of the bar of the city, learned Le Figaro in the afternoon from concordant sources. An information confirmed in the wake by the prosecutor of the Republic, Xavier Bonhomme.
These proceedings were carried out as part of an investigation opened by the prosecutor's office and entrusted to the judicial police of Nice on May 25 for "illegal taking of interests by a person invested with an elective mandate or a public service mission" and "concealment" of the same offense. The investigations concern the conditions under which Anthony Borré benefited from a favourable opinion by the Council of the Nice Bar Association, to access the profession of lawyer.
In December 2022, the elected official had begun the process of putting on the dress. His nine years at the head of Christian Estrosi's cabinet allowed him, in fact, to skip the steps. An exceptional derogation is granted to those who justify having handled legal functions over a long period (at least eight years). In the city, and near the courthouse of Nice, the news had spread like wildfire, arousing a strong protest.
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For Jean-Christophe Picard, elected ecologist and former president of Anticor, the conflict of interest was not in doubt. The latter had, in fact, discovered that the president of the Nice bar, Adrien Verrier, who defends the city, as well as another lawyer who defends a company with the capital of the municipality, both sat on the council of the order. A part of the profession was immediately indignant, including the former president, Valentin Césari. Some even went so far as to say that his oral ethics examination, passed in Marseille, was "truncated", because of the composition of the jury. Several appeals were then filed and the national financial prosecutor's office seized (and finally divested in favor of the Nice prosecutor's office).
"He fulfilled the conditions for access to this profession"
These searches confirm the accusations of Anthony Borré's critics. The latter has not yet taken the oath. In a press release, the lawyer for the main defendant indicates that the searches take place at "a classic moment in the proceedings". According to Xavier Cachard, they must demonstrate "the probity and integrity of [his] client in the case between him and Mr. Picard". Anthony Borré's counsel still insists on the fact that his client passed the knowledge test exam in ethics and professional regulation on April 17. "Prior to this examination, my client had been interviewed by 24 lawyers from the Nice Bar and produced several hundred documents attesting that he met the conditions for access to this profession," he said.
Contacted, Adrien Verrier tells Le Figaro that the police and the prosecutor's office presented themselves this morning to the bar association exclusively to obtain the elements relating to the application for registration of Anthony Borré as a lawyer. "We gave them a copy of the file and they left," he said. The President of the Bar assures that he "calmly lets the authorities" conduct their investigations.