Édouard Philippe placed under the status of assisted witness

Edouard Philippe is not indicted, and the procedure was discreet. Everyone expected to see the former Prime Minister appear monday 24 October before the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR). But he was in fact heard on Tuesday, October 18, away from the cameras, and above all placed by the magistrates under the more favorable status of assisted witness. The charges for which he was auditioned are nevertheless serious: “endangering the lives of others” and “voluntary abstention from fighting a disaster”.

Edouard Philippe must therefore explain his choices, at the time of the first wave of Covid-19, in particular on the maintenance of the municipal elections, on March 15, 2020, when the country was about to enter confinement. Before the deputies, two years ago, the former Prime Minister had already justified himself. “I do not believe that we can change the date of elections in a democracy, except to have a political consensus and a scientific consensus”he said.