Accused of falsifying a criminal file in 2015 to keep a prisoner in prison, who committed suicide shortly after, the two magistrates were released. The Lyon Criminal Court pronounced his release on Wednesday.
Following the denunciation of the family of the deceased, Eric Hager, the two women had been sent back to the Criminal Court of Lyon, after a change of scenario, for “falsification of public writings and arbitrary detention by a person who holds public authority”.
There was “a succession of oversights and errors”, a “lack of verification” and “disciplinary sins”, but “no fraudulent intent” in the acts of the two magistrates, the prosecutor said at the time at the hearing on 21 September, before to ask for release.
Suicide of the inmate
On 12 June 2015 Éric Hager appeared before the criminal court of Bar-le-Duc (Meuse) for acts of aggravated intentional violence. He was then sentenced to two years of imprisonment, of which six months suspended. But, since no other detention had been ordered in the criminal file or pronounced publicly, this man’s lawyer had told him that he could be released during the day.
The chancellery, which had then noted the absence of mention relating to the continuation of the detention, had returned to find the president of the court and the deputy prosecutor to question them on the matter. After a brief discussion among them, the deputy added the handwritten mention “continued in detention” to the hearing minutes. Éric Hager, informed that in the end he would not be released, committed suicide in his cell.
It was acknowledged at that time that the court had forgotten to pronounce continued detention. The two magistrates, thinking of repairing their mistake, had added it.
Due to the youth of the substitute (then 27 years old) and the lack of experience of the president, then in office for three months, they were exonerated from punishment.
