Former investigating judge Renaud Van Ruymbeke, known for having notably investigated the Elf, Kerviel and Cahuzac cases, died at the age of 71, Eric Dupond-Moretti announced on Friday.
“Judge Renaud Van Ruymbeke has left us. France loses a great magistrate and Justice an immense servant. I send my heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones,” wrote the Minister of Justice on X (formerly Twitter).
Retired since 2019, this great football fan, also a distinguished pianist, was one of the emblematic judges in the fight against corruption in France and has investigated some of the most sensitive political-financial cases of recent decades.
“The image of the independent and courageous investigating judge”
Among his instructions are notably the Urba affair, on the secret financing of the Socialist Party, investigations into Jérôme Cahuzac and the Balkany couple, or even the complex affair of the Taiwan frigates. In 2008, he also led the investigation into the giant frauds of Société Générale trader Jérôme Kerviel.
“There is a lot of money at our doors and no one is doing anything,” he regretted during the last interview given to AFP, in November 2022. He called for “the need for awareness,” “at a time when States have significant deficits, great needs for hospitals, for the energy transition”.
“He embodied the image of the independent and courageous investigating judge, and will leave an indelible mark in the judicial history of our country,” reacted on X Rémy Heitz, attorney general at the Court of Cassation.
