French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti was due to appear in court on Friday for questioning that could lead to charges over alleged conflict of interest.
The 60-year-old star lawyer was recruited by President Emmanuel Macron just a year ago, swapping his life as one of the country’s most famous criminal lawyers for a career in politics.
Now he is being accused of abusing his position as minister to settle scores with opponents from his legal career, and he will appear before the Law Court of the Republic Friday.
The court hears cases of alleged wrongdoing by serving ministers, and he will be questioned by magistrates who will decide whether to press charges.
Investigators spent 15 hours searching Dupond-Moretti’s office at the justice ministry on July 1 for evidence.The minister’s aides have described him as “serene and determined to explain himself” ahead of Friday’s court appearance.
The accusations relate to inquiries into three judges who ordered police in 2014 to pore through the phone records of dozens of lawyers and magistrates, including Dupond-Moretti, as part of an investigation into former president Nicolas Sarkozy.
The judiciary accused Dupond-Moretti of a witch-hunt.
He has denied the allegations, saying he was merely acting on the recommendations of his staff to investigate possible failings on the part of the magistrates who oversaw the seizures of the phone records.
If Dupond-Moretti is charged with conflict of interest by a person in a position of public authority, Macron is likely to face calls from the opposition to sack him.
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