Who would've believed that ?
In support of his defense, Thierry Herzog invokes… Edwy Plenel.
Nicolas Sarkozy's lawyer - prosecuted like his client and friend for corruption and influence peddling in the so-called wiretapping case, or the Bismuth case - who quotes the founder of the Mediapart site, that's funny.
This Thursday, December 3, before the Paris Criminal Court, at the end of an extremely quiet day during which he was hardly bothered by a little inquisitive president, Me Herzog is confronted with the undoubtedly the most embarrassing piece of the folder for him.
We are March 3, 2014. At the beginning of the year, Nicolas Sarkozy and his lawyer who considers him "a brother" are suspected of having used the high magistrate Gilbert Azibert to obtain information on a procedure underway before the Court of cassation.
In return, the former President of the Republic would have promised Thierry Herzog that he would give the latter a boost to obtain a post in Monaco for the magistrate.
Several telephone interceptions seem to attest to this.
However, on February 26, 2014, Nicolas Sarkozy finally assured by telephone that he did not intervene - the prosecution considers that this sudden change is due to the fact that they learned that the line under the assumed name of Bismuth had been discovered, which the parties dispute.
"Never, never, have I been corrupt"
It is in this context that the famous conversation of March 3 between Thierry Herzog and his friend Gilbert Azibert takes place.
"The approach in Monaco has been made", confides the lawyer to the former magistrate.
"Yes, well that's nice," replies the latter.
"There's nothing urgent, but I want to tell you something, that you are not surprised one day, adds a few seconds later the penalist.
[…]
Nothing serious.
But it is in relation to us, we had to… say certain things on the phone.
[…]
Because we have learned certain things.
This discussion is embarrassing since it would materialize the duplicity of the protagonists in this affair.
Thierry Herzog is much too smart not to have sensed the trap.
And it is then that he cuts down the Edwy Plenel card - whose site had published extracts from the wiretaps and is notably at the origin of the first revelations in the case of the suspicions of Libyan financing of Nicolas Sarkozy's campaign in 2007 The journalist's conversations were intercepted at length in the context of the Elysée wiretapping scandal under François Mitterrand.
An unpleasant experience that Edwy Plenel recounted in his book “Les Mots volés” published by Stock in 1997 and from which the lawyer quotes an extract: “A dialogue on the telephone is like a conversation with oneself.
[…]
If the interlocutor is a close friend
[…]
we speak too quickly
[…]
, we say anything, we speak without thinking ”.
“Gilbert Azibert didn't ask me for anything.
I lied by telling him that the step had been taken, resumes Thierry Herzog.
I thought I could explain it to him when I saw him.
No duplicity, then, but a pious lie so as not to rush his magistrate friend.
Apart from this sequence, the famous penalist with the solid build was able to quietly unfold his defense.
"I have not committed any offense, committed no violation of professional secrecy, committed no corruption, committed no influence peddling," he proclaimed solemnly at the beginning of the afternoon.
Never, ever, have I been corrupted.
The hearing was suspended in the early evening.
It will resume on Monday with questions from the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF).
