Francois Hollande’s former minister Kader Arif will be tried by the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) from October 19 on suspicion of favoritism in awarding a public contract to a company managed by his brother in 2014.
The former minister’s delegate, then the US Secretary of State for Veterans Affairs, who resigned in November 2014, is referred to this institution’s court: “taking illegal benefits, violation of freedom of access to equal public contracts and embezzlement of public funds“.
“Media training”.
He is accused of signing a contract in March 2014, when he was a minister’s delegate in the government of Jean-Marc Ayrault, which specifically referred to “media trainingbetween the Ministry of Defense and an unnamed company run by his brother Aisa Arif and one of his cousins. The market for six sessions was 60 thousand euros, but only one was realized.
The CJR, established in 1993, is the only body empowered to try members of the government for actions taken in the exercise of their functions. Its judiciary consists of three magistrates and twelve parliamentarians (six senators and six deputies). The trial was originally scheduled for January, but it could not take place, one of the judges was detained in the Senate and his deputy tested positive for Covid-19.
At the same time, the composition of the court has changed, with six MPs from the Assembly elected in June (2 Renaissance, 1 MoDem, 1 LR, 1 LFI and 1 RN). But “nothing has changedFrancois Cantier, one of Cader Arif’s lawyers, told AFP about the essence of the case.
Rump Survey
In particular, a judicial investigation has been launched at the Paris prosecutor’s office against five more accused (Kader Arif’s brother, sister and nephew, as well as his former chief of staff and the production manager of the company that won the contract).”still in progress“, he emphasized. However, for the lawyer, these two parallel procedures lead to “lack of fair trial“For Kader Arif, the recommendation committee of the CRC has found”.unable to hearthe heroes of the case.
According to him, he ledtough question“Listening to François Hollande, then the president of the republic, or Jean-Yves Le Drian, the defense minister responsible for Kader Arif;but did not get to the heart of the matter“. Kader Arif, now 63,protests his innocence and finds that the facts against him have not been established;Me Cantier also announced to AFP in January.
The revelation of the contract between the ministry and All Access prompted the Secretary of State to resign on 21 November 2014. The politician, who was also an MEP and Socialist MP for Haute-Garonne, was already weakened by the investigation. opened by the Toulouse prosecutor’s office in September 2014 following a report by opposition elected officials of the former Midi-Pyrenees region (formerly UMP).
“Anomalies”
They had condemnedanomalies” in the contractual relationship between the district council and two successive companies, AWF Musique, then AWF, specifically owned by Aisa Arif. Kader Arif further stated:questions that did not (concern) him at all.“, but he had to leave his post after the searches carried out in the Ministry of Defense procurement sub-department.
Kader Arif’s departure comes after other resignations by Francois Hollande’s cronies that have been found by courts or tax authorities, such as former budget minister Jerome Cahuzac, political adviser Aquilino Morelle or Secretary of State Thomas Thevenud, were overturned. his promiseModel Republic“. The trial is scheduled to last two days, and if the trial is extended, three days.
Source: Le Figaro
