the essential
A lawyer, established for years and registered with the Toulouse bar, is suspected of having invented legal procedures and writing false judgments to satisfy a client. He was arrested by the judicial police.
This is an incredible headlong rush. For 13 years, a lawyer allegedly invented legal procedures from scratch to satisfy one of his clients. This 57-year-old man, registered with the Toulouse bar, has just been arrested by the Organized and Specialized Crime Division (DCOS) . Defended by Me Simon Cohen, the lawyer specializing in business and corporate law would have admitted his wrongs. He will be tried in April 2025 for forgery and use of forgery.
It all started in 2011. At that time, the manager of a store located in Tarn called on one of the experts to furnish his premises. But the equipment provided deteriorates very quickly, and the merchant loses €300,000. He files a complaint against the wood supplier and demands reimbursement of the invoice.
To support him in this legal procedure, which should have been simple, the victim asked one of his lawyer friends for help. The legal professional naturally agrees to advise him without receiving a single cent.
After a few years, the victim receives a document from their lawyer. The latter explains to him that he lost at first instance, but will appeal the decision. Months pass without the business manager obtaining any information. Then his friend informs him that justice has once again positioned itself against him during this appeal trial. To support his statements, he sent him an official document confirming the decision.
A false appeal to the Supreme Court
While he thought he was in the right, the merchant is stunned. Faced with his dismay, and to console him, his council promised to appeal to the Court of Cassation.
The good news comes more than 10 years after the start of the procedure. That day, the lawyer did not hide his joy. He announces that he has finally won before the court of cassation. He then promises his client that the €300,000 will be paid in the coming months by the courts. Certainly tired of the endless delays, the merchant invests an equivalent sum in a new project even before receiving the money. The amount won in cassation was to reimburse this financial investment.
The investigating judge detects the scam
Everything changed on September 8, 2024. Worried about not having received his winnings, the victim went to the Toulouse court. This man came with documents that he believed to be authentic, supposed to prove his victory before the court of cassation. These false documents could constitute falsification and fraud. Taken aback, reception alerted an investigating judge whose name appears on this procedure. The magistrate notes with amazement that the certificates brandished are fake. The lawyer, who missed the hearing in 2011, would never have had the courage to tell his friend. For 13 years, this 57-year-old lawyer allegedly weaved a web of lies, going so far as to create false legal documents!
The judicial police were seized by the Toulouse public prosecutor’s office in October 2024. During the investigation and searches, numerous evidence was collected. Only acts committed from 2018 are retained, the others are prescribed.
