The Minister of the Interior has taken up the death of the young woman whose body was found in the Bois de Boulogne. “If we have to change the rules, let’s change them,” urges Bruno Retailleau. The suspect, convicted of rape, was subject to an OQTF.
Faced with his first case since his arrival at Place Beauvau on Saturday, Bruno Retailleau wants to make an impression. The Minister of the Interior took a position three days after the discovery of the body of Philippine, a 19-year-old woman buried in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris.
A 22-year-old suspect, previously convicted of rape and subject to an OQTF (obligation to leave French territory), was arrested on Tuesday in Switzerland.
“Faced with such a tragedy, preceded by many others, we cannot simply deplore or be indignant,” wrote Bruno Retailleau in a press release, calling for “development of our legal arsenal.”
A profile that appeals
The suspect was released from detention on June 20 and placed in an administrative detention center (CRA) in Metz before his expulsion.
But on September 3, a judge of liberties and detention had validated his release from the detention center, a measure accompanied by an obligation to report to the police station. On September 4, Morocco had “sent the expulsion authorization” to the French authorities.
“If the rules need to be changed, let’s change them.”
The day before the murder, on September 19, the suspect had been placed on the wanted persons register because he had not complied with his obligation to report daily to the police.
“If the rules need to be changed, let’s change them. Together, with the Minister of Justice, within the scope of our respective responsibilities, and under the authority of the Prime Minister, we must work to ensure the safety of our compatriots,” the Minister of the Interior added.
Will the Minister of Justice, Didier Migaud, seize the opportunity when relations with his colleague have already begun to become strained? During a visit to Santé prison on Tuesday, the new Minister of Justice assured that “laxity in the justice system does not exist”.
He also defended the work of magistrates and assured that he had “complementary missions” with Bruno Retailleau, whom he is due to meet “in the coming days”. The former socialist has not yet reacted.
