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A new twist in the case Fillon pushes Emmanuel Macron to intervene

Emmanuel Macron was asked Friday night at the superior Council of the magistracy to check that the parquet national financier (PNF) has done well in “serenity, without pressure” from the executive its investigation on the spouses Fillon during the presidential campaign of 2017.

The head of State decided to intervene, ” says the Elysee, in the light of the “excitement” aroused by statements of the former head of the PNF who was said to have conducted a survey under the “pressure” of the public prosecutor general, his or her supervisory authority.

Emmanuel Macron wants to “remove any doubt on the independence and impartiality of justice in this matter”, according to the Elysée.

Because the words of the ex-prosecutor “have caused a stir important” and “are interpreted by some as revealing of possible pressures that could be exerted on the justice in an open procedure at a critical point in our democratic life”.

on June 10, before the Commission of inquiry of the Assembly on the independence of the judiciary, Eliane Houlette was moved to the “pressure” and “monitoring very closely” that would have exercised the attorney general’s office during its investigations aimed at the spouses Fillon.

A folder that has weighed on the election campaign of 2017, at a time when François Fillon was high in the polls.

On Friday, Ms. Crook has “regretted” that his remarks have been “misquoted or misunderstood”. “Mr. Fillon has not been indicted at the request or under the pressure of the executive power”, she said, these “pressures” were “purely procedural”.

His first statements have triggered an avalanche of policy responses, of Marine Le Pen with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and especially in the camp LR, Mr Fillon, whose judgment in correctional alongside his wife, Penelope, is expected on June 29.

The statements of Eliane Houlette show “that the investigation was in charge, that she was crazy and that she had only one purpose : to shoot down French prime minister François Fillon,” responded Friday morning on Europe 1 Me Antonin Lévy, the lawyer of the unfortunate candidate for the presidential election.

The attorney general of Paris, Catherine Champrenault responded Friday to his former colleague, complaining, “that what comes from the internal workings and normal department, the public, can be presented as the pressures of any nature whatsoever on the judicial conduct of the folder” Fillon.

“Independence dummy”

Celine Parisot, president of the Union of magistrates (USM, majority), also considers it “unfortunate that Eliane Houlette suggests that these requests from the prosecutor general’s office were abnormal, then that is the usual operation between the public prosecutor and the general prosecutor’s office : it is allowed by the texts”.

“The problem,” for the union leader, “it is the status of the prosecutor’s office”. “The independence of the prosecutor general is a bit fictitious since it reports directly to the ministry of Justice”.

“We still crave a constitutional reform. Thus, the suspicion of pressure would not be more topical”, she added.

Emmanuel Macron announced a reform for which the prosecutors are appointed as judges, on the “assent” of the superior Council of the magistracy (CSM), an independent body.

In practice, this is already the case since 2012. But in theory, the executive can disregard the opinion of the CSM, which in turn fuels suspicions of political manipulation of the prosecution. This reform has been postponed sine die.

Katia Dubreuil, of the Union of magistrates (SM), notes that “the lift of information are provided by the texts and perfectly legal”. “This is the reason why we ask for the removal.”

The prosecutor general may request feedback to the floors and send them to the directorate for criminal affairs and pardon within the Chancellery, who may forward them to the office of the keeper of the Seals.

On the other hand, the Taubira law of 2013 prohibits the keeper of the Seals to give instructions in individual cases.

On June 10, Eliane Houlette was stated that “the prosecutor’s office, it is an objective reality, is under the control of the executive” and described “a culture of dependence, of submission”.

For the member Ugo Bernalicis (BIA), who chairs the commission of inquiry of the Assembly, “to restore confidence in the justice system, a reform of the statute of the prosecutor is necessary”, if not “the suspicion will always be there and it may even be proven to be in some folders.”

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