Discarded for a time for suspicion of radicalization just after the killing at the Paris police headquarters, a police captain filed a complaint for "discrimination" with the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) against Christophe Castaner, according to his lawyers.
According to the complaint revealed by Liberation and consulted by AFP, Hervé C. lodged a complaint on November 17 for "discrimination because of belonging to a specific religion" and "moral harassment" against the former minister of Interior to the CJR's requests committee.
It is the only court empowered to prosecute and try members of the government for crimes and misdemeanors committed "in the performance of their duties".
A police officer suspended then reinstated in another service
The police officer contests his suspension followed by his transfer to another service, according to him unfounded. Aged 41, a police officer since 2004 and a convert to Islam, Hervé C. had been working since June 2019 at the Automated National Judicial File of Perpetrators of Terrorist Offenses (FIJAIT) at the Paris judicial police. Colleagues "denounced" him to his hierarchy as potentially radicalized on October 6 and 7, 2019, a few days after Mickaël Harpon, a computer scientist from the police headquarters who converted to Islam, killed four of his colleagues.
In the process, Hervé C., defended by Mes Hélène Jouny and Anass Khafif, was suspended by the Ministry of the Interior on October 28, 2019, then reinstated on February 28, 2020, but transferred as head of the tax fraud and VAT group.
"No graduation was implemented, no dialogue established, contrary to the recommendations of the IGPN in the event of suspicion", raised the complaint.
To read also Attack at the prefecture: the author of the killing was an employee "without history"
In a brief sent in June 2021 to the administrative tribunal, which must rule on the captain's wish to reinstate FIJAIT, the Ministry of the Interior referred to “a radical religious practice, incompatible with the life of the unit and even beyond. with the requirements of secularism of its republican and public service missions ”.
However, underlines the agent, a report of the police of the police forces (the IGPN) delivered on June 8, 2020 within the framework of an investigation based on the hearing of 17 colleagues and superiors, concluded that he had " brought to light no breach "or" no proselytism ".
A decree deemed "discriminatory"
Finally, the "feelings and concerns" of the agents did not appear to be linked "to factual and concrete elements", according to the survey. Likewise, his suspension "was not based on any contemporary fact or behavior". According to him, the ministerial suspension decree is therefore "discriminatory on the grounds of religious affiliation" and his transfer translated "the refusal of the Minister of the Interior to leave a person of Muslim faith in charge of the FIJAIT file", then that he showed "no sign of radicalization".
“The fundamental problem in this case is that a Muslim policeman, wrongly suspected, cannot contribute to the fight against terrorism with his country.
My client is discriminated against for the sole reason of his religion, in this case Islam ”, specifies to Liberation Me Khafif.
Hervé C. also filed a complaint against X at the end of October with the Paris prosecutor's office for “discrimination”.