a traffic jam in court amid general indifference!

After Éric Dupond-Moretti, Olivier Dussopt, another minister in office, is called to explain himself in court, while Jérôme Cahuzac tries to make his comeback. Can politics be moral?

After the Minister of Justice Éric Dupond-Moretti, a second minister in office appears in court, Olivier Dussopt in charge of Labor. And the government gives work to the magistrates… Olivier Dussopt is being prosecuted for favoritism and has been appearing, since Monday, November 27, before the Paris Criminal Court. The facts with which he is accused date back to his mandate as mayor of Annonay, in Ardèche. Éric Dupond-Moretti appeared before the Court of Justice of the Republic, the only body capable of judging ministers for acts committed in government. In this case, illegal taking of interests. If they are convicted, they would be forced to leave their functions, but in the meantime, we can already note the regression of our democratic practices.

Under Emmanuel Macron’s predecessors, ministers resigned as soon as they were indicted. From now on, they have the anointing of the President of the Republic to cling to their position until the end.

They remain presumed innocent, it is legally undeniable. But politically very risky for public action. Can a minister in charge of the general interest see his mission tarnished by a trial? During the day in court, in the evening in government, these images clash with the practices in force among most of our neighbors, for example, in Northern Europe, where they would be unimaginable. Nor would we see the return with fanfare of a former minister heavily sentenced to four years in prison, including two prison terms, five years of ineligibility and a fine of 300,000 euros for tax fraud, in this case Jérôme Cahuzac! He served his sentence, of course, but does a fraudulent Budget Minister who lied to the national representation really have the right to a second chance in politics? In terms of public morality, this comeback is indecent.

Elected officials convicted… then re-elected

Is politics governed by morality? No, and that’s fortunate. If only teachers of virtue presented themselves, there would be fewer candidates. But today, a trial is an additional line that has become almost insignificant in the CV of an elected official. These days, the traffic jam at the court no longer moves anyone: a former President, Nicolas Sarkozy, is back there once again, this time for the Bygmalion affair. François Bayrou was tried for embezzlement of public funds, soon awaiting Marine Le Pen for the same charge… All amid general indifference. The fault is undoubtedly the voters themselves who sometimes re-elect convicted elected officials. Balkany jurisprudence in Levallois-Perret reminds us that in a democracy, citizens only have the elected officials they deserve.