Karine Gonnet, president of the Fort-de-France judicial court, was the subject of searches in July as part of an investigation into suspected embezzlement of public funds. This information, revealed by Médiapart, was confirmed by a source close to the matter. The investigation concerns the use of funds from the Departmental Council for Access to Law (CDAD) of Martinique, which Karine Gonnet chairs. Investigators suspect expenses unrelated to the mission of the CDAD, which aims to support the most disadvantaged in their legal proceedings, as well as expenses for personal purposes.
Spending under surveillance
The searches were carried out at his office as well as his homes in Martinique and Île-de-France. The investigation concerns the use of funds from the Departmental Council for Access to Law (CDAD) of Martinique. Among the elements examined, according to Mediapart, are 100,000 euros for a photographic fresco, the purchase of a 4×4 that Karine Gonnet would have used personally, and plane, hotel and restaurant expenses. These investigations were opened following an internal report to the CDAD in a context of internal tensions, the file specifies.
Ongoing investigation for corruption and embezzlement
François Saint-Pierre, Karine Gonnet’s lawyer, denounced a “scandalous cabal”, accusing the former secretary general of the CDAD of being at the origin of false accusations, relayed without verification by Laurent Sabatier, first president of the Court of Appeal of Fort-de-France. According to him, his client is “unfairly attacked and presumed innocent”. He also confirmed that Karine Gonnet would soon be appointed to another court of appeal, but that the ongoing procedures will shed light on this matter.
The judicial investigation opened on March 20 concerns serious accusations: corruption, influence peddling, illegal taking of interests, embezzlement of public funds, complicity and concealment. The investigations, entrusted to the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Financial and Tax Offenses, aim to verify the reality of the accusations in this conflictual climate within the CDAD. When asked, the first president of the Court of Appeal of Fort-de-France refused to comment on the case due to the secrecy of the investigation.
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