A prefect, a former magistrate hired at LVMH, police officers converted to the private sector… Nine men are on trial from this Wednesday, November 13 alongside the former spymaster, Bernard Squarcini, nicknamed “the Squale”.
A particularity of this file is that it contains several cases in the case. They were all recorded and transcribed, according to a detailed plan, by the investigating judges who carried out the investigations in an order for referral to the criminal court of 237 pages, which Corse-Matin was able to consult.
From passive influence peddling to embezzlement of public funds, including compromising the secret of National Defense, forgery of public documents or even complicity in violation of professional secrecy, eleven offenses are accused of Bernard Squarcini, originally from Cuttoli -Corticchiato.
Justice is interested in the numerous networks of the former head of internal intelligence, which he activated to obtain various information, often covered by investigative secrecy, and in particular in the investigation into the assassination of Antoine Sollacaro.
A conversation between two “knowers”
Regarding this aspect, Jean-François Lelièvre, 63, will be on the stand for facts dating from 2013, when he was coordinator of security services in Corsica. He is on trial for having informed Bernard Squarcini about the investigations underway, at that time, concerning the assassination of lawyer Antoine Sollacaro, killed on October 16, 2012. The former boss of the central directorate of internal intelligence (DCRI, now DGSI), contacted by a third party, attempted to obtain information relating to police custody which was in progress in March 2013 from Jean-François Lelièvre.
In his hearing, the former coordinator for security in Corsica explained: “These kinds of facts (police custody, editor’s note), it was not a secret in Corsica. Information circulated particularly quickly on the island (…) The elements given could have been given by the lawyer. The mere fact of communicating this information before the lawyer allowed Bernard Squarcini to make his interlocutor indebted to him.”.
He further maintained that these were only conversations between two “knowers”. But according to the judges who investigated these offenses, “the interest in disclosing this information does not appear obvious.”
The proceedings before the Paris criminal court should end on November 29.
