The situation is exceptional: judges are searching the Ministry of Justice.
According to our information, the three magistrates of the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) who are investigating the investigation of possible conflicts of interest concerning Eric Dupond-Moretti, the Minister of Justice, have been leading since this Thursday morning at 9 a.m. a search of the premises of the ministry, place Vendôme.
The only court capable of investigating a minister had launched investigations after reports and complaints from three magistrates' unions and the Anticor association, who suspect the Minister of Justice of having had an influence on cases that 'he had to deal with as a lawyer.
Through this search, the judges, supported by the gendarmes of the Paris research section, hope to find documents to confirm these suspicions.
"Barbouzes' methods"
Two cases are of particular interest to these seasoned magistrates. The first is that of "fadettes". Lawyer, Eric Dupond-Moretti was indignant against the maneuvers of the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) targeting lawyer Thierry Herzog in the “Bismuth” case, which implicated Nicolas Sarkozy. During this investigation, the magistrates of the national financial prosecutor's office had thus recovered the telephone records of relatives of Herzog ... including those of Eric Dupond-Moretti. The penalist had denounced "methods of barbouzes" before filing a complaint. If it had not prospered, once appointed Minister of Justice, Eric Dupont-Moretti had requested the opening of administrative investigations against the magistrates of the PNF. The magistrates' unions see it as a conflict of interest.
Another sensitive issue, that of magistrate Edouard Levrault. Then investigating judge in Monaco, the latter had investigated a case targeting a Monegasque police officer suspected of corruption ... and defended by lawyer Eric Dupond-Moretti. Indignant by the methods of the judge who had appeared in a documentary of France 3, the penalist had complained publicly and had denounced the methods of "cowboy" of the magistrate. Barely appointed minister, he initiated administrative proceedings against Judge Levrault.
Since the beginning of their investigations into possible conflicts of interest targeting the Minister of Justice, the magistrates and gendarmes of the SR of Paris, regularly seized of sensitive investigations, have not been idle. As revealed by Le Canard Enchaîné, they heard Prime Minister Jean Castex on June 7. They also moved to Lille, to the president of the Lille Bar Association, where Dupond-Moretti worked for a long time. Several very close collaborators of the minister and former colleagues of the lawyer have also been heard by the judges of the CJR or the gendarmes in recent weeks. According to the Chained Duck, the Keeper of the Seals should soon be summoned by the magistrates of the CJR. Contacted the office of the Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti was not reachable this morning.