The former lawyer, now Keeper of the Seals, was tried for ten days for illegal taking of interests before the Court of Justice of the Republic. On the first day of the hearing, this frequenter of the courtrooms, but not of the defendants’ place, spoke on the stand.
“This trial, in my eyes, is first and foremost a trial of illegitimacy.” From the first day of the hearing, Monday November 6, Eric Dupond-Moretti denounced his referral to the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR). The current Minister of Justice, a former tenor of the bar, is on trial for ten days for illegal taking of interests. He is suspected of having used his position as Minister of Justice to settle scores with four magistrates whom he had publicly criticized when he was a lawyer.
“For me and for my loved ones, this trial is an infamy”, declared Eric Dupond-Moretti before the Court of Justice of the Republic, made up of three professional magistrates, six senators and six deputies from all sides. These words, spoken during his introductory remarks, resonated under the gold and rich ornaments of the majestic courtroom of the Paris Court of Appeal. “To the trial of illegitimacy, was added the trial of intent”continued the Minister of Justice, who believes he was targeted from his “nomination” to the government in July 2020.
“We have trampled on the presumption of innocence. (…) War has been declared on me.”
Eric Dupond-Moretti, Keeper of the Sealsbefore the Court of Justice of the Republic
“I was a lawyer for 36 years, some lawyers criticized me for no longer being one, certain magistrates for having been one”said Eric Dupond-Moretti, who says he was a victim of “untruths” and having received “insults”. But the Minister of Justice said he was ready to do battle with his detractors: “It’s obviously a challenge, but it’s also a big relief, because I came to defend myself.” Thus, he announced his intention to defend himself “dignifiedly”, “completely” And “firmly”.
Mumbling and grumbling
As soon as he arrived, at the beginning of the afternoon, Eric Dupond-Moretti adopted a serious expression, as if to underline the historic and unprecedented nature of the moment: for the first time, a minister in office, moreover of Justice, finds himself judged. Dressed in a dark suit, with a bulky file under his arm, he placed the bundle of documents, covered in a blue pocket, on a table decorated with a tablecloth of the same color, in front of which a chair was positioned. Aware of all eyes on him, before the hearing began, he remained standing for many minutes, exchanging a few words with his three lawyers.
Accustomed to the courtrooms, but not in the defendant’s place, the former lawyer had to go to the stand to come and state his identity. “Dupond-Moretti, born April 20, 1961”, he muttered. Then he returned to his seat, while the president of the court, Dominique Pauthe, proceeded to call the witnesses. There are no less than 23 of them and will be heard from Tuesday until November 14. Among them, the prosecutor François Molins, now retired, the former minister Nicole Belloubet, present in the room on this first day of hearing, or even Jean Castex, the former head of government.
After calling the witnesses, Dominique Pauthe read the report on the facts of illegal taking of interests accused of the Minister of Justice. During this long statement, Eric Dupond-Moretti, seated, listened and wrote from time to time on a notepad, his file open on the table. Sometimes with his arms crossed, sometimes with his nose buried in his notes, the accused minister nodded and grumbled at times.
Magistrates, judges and parties
Eric Dupond-Moretti maintained this attitude when Rémy Heitz, public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, representing the public prosecutor at the hearing, took the floor to explain the “difficulties” posed by this trial. Of the “difficulties” for magistrates called to testify, “some members of the public prosecutor’s office whose career depends on the very person you must judge”. But also for the “parliamentary judges”which are brought “to be exchanged regularly with the Minister of Justice”.
“We must rise with the permanent concern for neutrality, objectivity, in a word, impartiality.”
Rémy Heitz, prosecutorbefore the Court of Justice of the Republic
“This matter is both simple and complex, it is above all serious”underlined Rémy Heitz, who recalled that the minister would face a sentence of five years of imprisonment. “There must only be one victory at the end: that of truth and that of justice”he wished, refusing that “this trial is transformed, according to the speeches, into that of justice”.
A “unnecessary warning”replied, in a dry tone, Jacqueline Laffont, Eric Dupond-Moretti’s lawyer. “We hope that the justice that will be rendered is based on the facts and the law”she insisted before the hearing was suspended. “You have to speak out on facts, but with people you know personally and intimately”, added Jacqueline Laffont. The lawyer denounced a “sort of pre-indictment” on the eve of the interrogation of his client, scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. and eagerly awaited. “I will answer all questions”promised Eric Dupond-Moretti.