VIDEO. Troubled cash management by traffickers’ lawyers

Up to 50,000 euros for a file, not including bonuses in the event of release: the remuneration of some lawyers is annoying in the cozy world of justice. Their payments would often be made in cash, sometimes bypassing tax rules.

The remark went unnoticed last March. In the Senate, while a commission of inquiry lists all the flaws in the fight against drug trafficking, the Marseille prosecutor makes an allusion to an accusatory tone. “We all cast a prudish veil over the perception of fees by certain lawyers”: behind these chosen words, he attacks a taboo. Because, in matters of narcotics, lawyers’ remuneration is essentially in cash.

According to one of them, familiar with these files, the price range is in tens of thousands of euros. “Not all lawyers take on this type of case obviously, but there is nothing below 10,000 euros. When it starts to get a little serious, it’s 40,000, 50,000.” An order of magnitude confirmed by other judicial sources.

According to him, there are also bonuses upon release, “the bonus. It can be between 100,000 and 300,000 euros”. In the profession, this represents almost 2 years of salary. “But behind it, we have to insure because otherwise, we will have to reimburse. And if it is reimbursed, it is according to their terms and not the terms of the commercial court. You see what I mean.”

However, cash payments are limited to 1,000 euros, taxes included. How to cash these cash, while remaining within the legal limit? Lawyers are very cautious on the issue, but one of them told us he prepared false invoices.

“We have too much cash, so if we want to be able to pay ourselves, our employees, our rent, we are obliged to deposit the cash into our account. The problem is that we need invoicing behind to justify these transfers , and this billing, you have to tinker with it”he assures.

To stay on point, he divides his fees into real false invoices that we were able to consult. Whether it is an appearance before the JAP, the sentence enforcement judge, the examination of a correctional procedure, or a hearing in detention, they are all worth 1,000 euros. According to him, these services are fictitious: they do not correspond to the correct file, or they never existed.

Practices for which he risks a fine, or even criminal prosecution. “In fact, we commit tax offenses, and it’s the only way for us to work. It’s very unpleasant to live like this.”he tells us, pointing out the absurdity of this regulation.

The method is widespread, according to several lawyers interviewed. However, there is no question of limiting the collection of cash for criminal lawyers. One of their spokespersons, Me Romain Boulet, even assures that this dirty money, when it is declared, has an interest in the state budget.

“I’m not naive. I suspect that if the money from offenses is used to pay for nice clothes, nice cars, and nice vacations, it can also be used to pay for a lawyer. But in this In this context, the lawyer who is paid with this money will pay taxes on it, and will thus allow the opening of schools, the maintenance of remand centers, and the payment of magistrates.”. For him, this illicit money is thus reinjected into the legal circuit, as certain State services, including Agrasc, already do.

Nothing prevents the tax authorities or the police from looking into the origin of lawyers’ income. In 10 years, in Paris, around twenty black dresses have been searched, according to a source close to the Bar. But in most cases, they used professional secrecy to withhold their fee notes, and they won.

Among our sources: