A witness like no other. Silence falls in the courtroom of the Rhône criminal court, Tuesday September 24, during the arrival of François Molins. Former Paris prosecutor at the time of the events, in 2012, he is angry. He does not want to be there, while the case which dismisses the divisional commissioner François Thierry, the former boss of the fight against narcotics, for “forgery in public writing by a person holding public authority” and “destruction of evidence”, splashes the floor over which he had authority.
Read also: In Lyon, a commissioner appears in court for forgery and destruction of evidence
In April 2012, a notorious drug trafficker, Sofiane Hambli, was taken from Nancy prison, where he was serving a thirteen-year sentence, to a Parisian hotel where he had spent four days. Telephones were then given to him by François Thierry’s team, so that he could inform the police of the details of a delivery of six tonnes of narcotics to come to a Spanish beach. Except that, despite contacts with the Paris prosecutor’s office, these four days of police custody are not based on any legal framework.
“I cannot imagine that a magistrate from the Paris public prosecutor’s office could have authorized such a thing if he was in possession of all the information, repeats François Molins, now honorary magistrate. At no time did I have the slightest information on this story. »
“I would have done the same thing”
And the Parisian magistrates parade: “nothing is normal in this police custody”, elle “doesn’t look like anything” It is “unheard of”.
Thursday, September 26, the director general of the national police, Frédéric Veaux, was in turn offensive: “When things are going well, everyone wants to be in the picture. When everything goes wrong, it’s “courage, let’s run away”. It’s called cowardice.” he says, praising the merits of divisional commissioner Thierry, now 56 years old, to whom he had nevertheless issued a reprimand with detailed motivation for this affair.
“If I had to make a decision on this today, I would not impose any sanctions. If I had been in François Thierry’s place, I would have done exactly the same thing. » He continues: “I have witnessed so many fictitious extensions of police custody ordered by magistrates that I am surprised by certain comments made today. »
And the police officers parade in turn: the Paris prosecutor’s office knew, there would have been a “prior agreement” between Ocrtis, the anti-drug office, and the prosecutors.
To François Thierry’s deputy at the time, the president of the court Éric Chalbos asked: “This custody is not as smooth as it should have been, do you agree? » ” Absolutely, replies the former magistrate who became a police officer. But whose fault is it? »
The day before, two magistrates who had been placed in police custody in 2018 for this story were interviewed. Véronique Degermann, then deputy prosecutor in charge of organized crime in particular, was the only one who had been indicted, before benefiting from a dismissal of the case.
Cries and applause
The scene is curious. On several occasions, the honorary magistrate turns her head to her right to seek the assent of François Thierry whom she accuses at the same time “of fabrications and mythomania” and with whom, she said, she had relations “strictly professional”.
When the defense questions her, she repeatedly turns her head to her left, towards the attorney general, who keeps her head in her documents. She often says: “I don’t remember. » What makes François Thierry’s lawyer, Mr.e Szpiner : “I find it great to hear magistrates say that they have no memory, because when it happens to other of our clients, we receive the wrath of the magistrates. » For the defense, François Thierry has not committed any offense, this custody is only a matter of « l’improvisation » and only morality can possibly be questioned.
For his part, the Attorney General requires a permanent ban on practicing and four years in prison, with a simple suspended sentence.
Friday September 27, the five magistrates of the criminal court acquitted François Thierry, considering that he had acted “with the agreement of the Paris public prosecutor’s office”. The decision was met with tears and applause.
