Latest news with #GabrielStargardter
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
French jail attacks no longer being investigated as terrorism
By Gabriel Stargardter PARIS (Reuters) - French anti-terrorism prosecutors will no longer handle the investigation into 30 people suspected of involvement in a spate of prison attacks, saying on Friday their alleged actions were "within the framework of major organised crime". Over five separate nights in April, at least 10 French prisons were attacked. Automatic weapons were fired at jails, cars were torched in prison car parks and officers were intimidated in their homes. Despite government ministers saying the attacks were likely sparked by a push to crack down on gangsters running their drug empires from behind bars, the French national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office (PNAT) quickly took charge of the probe. However, on Friday, the PNAT said: "It does not appear that these coordinated actions stem from a terrorist enterprise ... No radical violent ideology, no foreign interference, both leads that were deeply investigated, could be found." The PNAT said 30 people had been arrested for alleged involvement in the attacks. Seven were already serving time in jail and four were minors. Seven have subsequently been released, it said. The PNAT said investigators had identified the alleged creator of the "DDPF," or "French prisoners' rights," group on Telegram, which it said was used to defend the attacks and rail against conditions for those behind bars. It said the person was a convicted inmate, awaiting trial in a drug gang trial, with alleged links to Marseille's powerful and fast-expanding DZ Mafia gang. The DDPF tag was daubed across many of the prisons attacked, and the PNAT alleged the DDPF Telegram group was used to order the hits, tendering out the work to small-time criminals to carry them out in a fashion commonly used by French gangs. Given the alleged links to organised crime, the PNAT said it was handing the probe over to the JUNALCO organised crime office at the Paris prosecutor's office. The prison attacks have underlined France's growing problems with organised crime. This week, lawmakers approved a sweeping counter-narcotics law to equip the state with tougher tools to fight a sharp rise in drug crime following a record-breaking surge of South American cocaine into Europe. The new law will create a national prosecutor's office for organised crime, and isolate dangerous kingpins in prisons, among other measures.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
France passes sweeping new drug law as cocaine surge drives crime wave
By Elizabeth Pineau and Gabriel Stargardter PARIS (Reuters) - French lawmakers on Tuesday approved a sweeping counter-narcotics law to equip the state with tougher tools to fight a sharp rise in drug crime following a record-breaking surge of South American cocaine into Europe. The new law will create a national prosecutor's office for organised crime, isolate dangerous kingpins in prisons to prevent them from running their empires from behind bars, and allow for the shutdown of businesses that launder drug money. The use of cooperating witnesses - criminals offering information on their network in return for lighter sentences or other benefits - will be expanded, while assets will be confiscated unless their owners can attest to their provenance. The bill, which was born out of a 2024 Senate report that warned France faced a "tipping point" from rising drug violence, was not without controversy. A measure to provide police with an automatic backdoor into encrypted messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal was removed by lawmakers during debate. Centrist lawmaker Sylvain Maillard told Reuters tougher laws were needed to tackle a problem that is affecting nations across the continent. "Countries in Europe, like Holland and Belgium, are under attack," Maillard said. "All countries with major ports are particularly affected, and this is the case in France. We must combat this scourge, which has grown enormously in recent years, by updating the legislation." The new law comes amid growing awareness of France's struggle with organised crime. A spate of attacks on prisons across France, which the government says are in response to its push to make jails less hospitable to drug barons, has underlined the threat to the state posed by the narcotics trade. At least 25 people suspected of involvement in the prison attacks were arrested on Monday on terrorism charges. Years of record cocaine imports to Europe have transformed local drug markets, generating a wave of violence. Despite historic cocaine seizures in France, gangs are reaping windfalls as they expand from traditional power bases in cities such as Marseille into smaller towns unused to drug violence. The rise in gang crime has also increased support for the far-right National Rally party and helped drag French politics further to the right.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
France's Le Pen faces crunch day in graft trial that could kill her presidential hopes
By Gabriel Stargardter PARIS (Reuters) - French far-right leader Marine Le Pen faces one of the defining days of her political career on Monday, when a court rules whether she is guilty of embezzlement in a trial that could see her barred from the 2027 presidential race. The verdict threatens to upend French politics, with Le Pen, head of the far-right National Rally (RN), a front-runner in polls ahead of the 2027 vote. Her party has called the trial a witch hunt and her removal from the race would intensify debate about how judges police politics. A tough sentence "would cause considerable disruption since the main opposition leader would be prevented from running by the judges", said Arnaud Benedetti, a political analyst who has written a book on the RN's rise. Le Pen, the RN and two dozen party figures are accused of diverting over 3 million euros ($3.3 million) of European Parliament funds to pay France-based staff. The defendants say the money was used legitimately and the allegations define too narrowly what a parliamentary assistant does. Prosecutors have asked that Le Pen face an immediate five-year ban from public office if found guilty, regardless of any appeal process, using a so-called "provisional execution" measure. Acquittal would boost a far-right leader who has tacked towards the mainstream and transformed the RN into the biggest single party in France's parliament. However, a guilty verdict with an automatic five-year ban would hammer Le Pen, 56, a three-time presidential contender who has said 2027 will be her final run for top office. She would retain her parliamentary seat until the end of her mandate. Judges can adopt, modify or ignore the prosecutors' request. POLITICAL FATE IN COURT'S HANDS Le Pen accuses prosecutors of seeking her "political death", alleging a plot to keep the RN from power that echoes claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump about his legal woes. In an interview with La Tribune Dimanche, published on Saturday, Le Pen said she wasn't nervous, and expected mercy from the judges. "With provisional execution, the judges have the power of life or death over our movement," she said. "But I don't think they'll go that far." Some of her rivals, including Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, as well as some left-wing politicians, worry about judges deciding who can run for office. Prosecutors and a judge involved in the trial have received online death threats, Reuters reported, part of a growing international backlash against judges seeking to rein in political wrongdoing. Senior RN figures do not expect Le Pen to be barred. Her protege, 29-year-old party president Jordan Bardella, will take her place if she is, they say. Far-right expert and political scientist Jean-Yves Camus said a five-year ban could anger Le Pen's supporters. "RN voters are quite prone to thinking they are victims of the 'elite'," he said. "An immediate ineligibility verdict could reinforce this sentiment of being ostracised."
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposed political ban for France's Le Pen increasingly prevalent, despite her outrage
By Gabriel Stargardter PARIS (Reuters) - French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who in two weeks will learn her fate in an embezzlement trial, says prosecutors demanding she face an instant five-year public office ban have waged an unheard of assault on her presidential hopes. The 56-year-old National Rally (RN) leader, who leads polls for the 2027 presidential vote, accuses prosecutors of seeking her "political death" by asking judges to bar her from office if convicted - effective immediately even if she appeals. That, she says, is "completely disproportionate" compared to other cases. However, ever since the passage of the Sapin II anti-graft law in 2016, a growing number of politicians convicted of corruption have received such bans, which may worry Le Pen as the March 31 verdict approaches. "These precedents show that judges are in no way inhibited," said Philippe Petit, a lawyer who has represented several disbarred politicians. "The same thing can happen to her." Le Pen, the RN and some two dozen party figures are accused of diverting over 3 million euros ($3.27 million) of European funds to pay staff in France. They say the money was used legitimately. RN spokesperson Laurent Jacobelli did not respond to a request for comment for this article. Prosecutors Louise Neyton and Nicolas Barret's request for an immediate five-year bar on Le Pen, via the so-called "provisional execution" measure, electrified French politics. Typically in France, sentences for non-serious crimes, or those committed by first-time offenders, are not applied until the appeals process has run its course. However, if judges apply a "provisional execution," the sentence begins immediately. Judges can adopt, modify or reject the prosecutors' request. At the request of a disbarred Mayotte councilman, France's constitutional court is analysing the legality of "provisional execution" in cases of ineligibility. A first hearing is on Tuesday with a final ruling due before April 3. A favourable decision would mean Le Pen stands little chance of being barred. However, if convicted and given a five-year "provisional execution" ban, her only hopes of running will rest on her conviction and sentence being overturned before 2027. Neyton and Barret said they sought a "provisional execution" against Le Pen and her co-accused for repeated efforts to play for time in a probe stretching back nearly a decade. An immediate ban would prevent repeat offences, they argued. JUDICIAL OVERREACH? Their push has led to accusations of judicial overreach by Le Pen allies and criticism from some mainstream politicians, including Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin. It has also led to the prosecutors and a judge receiving death threats, Reuters reported, part of growing global frictions over judicial efforts to police politics. Romania's top court recently barred far-right politician Calin Georgescu from running for president, prompting criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump's team. Sapin II aimed to align France's anti-corruption rules with those of its peers and correct a widespread perception of impunity for France's graft-stained political class. The law made ineligibility an automatic punishment for all politicians convicted of corruption. Ineligibility is not restricted to corruption and is also applied for other crimes including sexual offences, fraud and terrorism. In 2023, more than 16,000 people were ruled ineligible, up nearly 1,000% since 2019, according to Justice Ministry data. Reuters could not ascertain how many politicians had been barred from office, as the data does not distinguish between elected officials and other professions. Three disbarred politicians and lawyers told Reuters that prosecutors are increasingly demanding "provisional execution" ineligibility sentences, with judges often complying. Brigitte Bareges, a right-wing former mayor of the southern town of Montauban, was convicted of embezzlement in 2021, and given a fine, suspended prison sentence and five-year political ban with "provisional execution." "It was violent, brutal," she said. "I was so ashamed because all my life I've fought against corruption." Bareges, who was acquitted on appeal, described her "provisional execution" sentence as a hit-job by a politicized judiciary. She said Le Pen has good reason to fear "leftist judges" who "may overstep objectivity ... to eliminate a presidential candidate who could well be elected." The Justice Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. CONFRONTATION LOOMS Eric Landot, a lawyer who has written about the Le Pen trial, said if she is convicted, judges will struggle to strike a balance between showing the law is the same for everyone, while also avoiding accusations of political meddling. Robin Binsard, a lawyer who represents disbarred politician Patrick Balkany, said "whatever decision the judges make, they will be strongly criticized." But he said French lawmakers had struck an own goal by passing Sapin II: "They gave judges the tools to significantly encroach on executive power." A senior RN source said Le Pen's powerful wingman, 29-year-old Jordan Bardella, would run in 2027 if she cannot, but added they believed she would not be barred. For years, the RN has been seeking to cleanse its image by shedding anti-Semitic and racist elements, while also underlining its institutional bona fides. If Le Pen is barred, it could usher in a Trumpian era of confrontation between the RN – the largest party in parliament - and France's institutions. "The risk with this kind of thing is that by constantly attacking the people, one day the people will rise up," said Paul Baudry, the former mayor of Bassussarry in southwest France, who was convicted of graft in 2020, and given a 10-year "provisional execution" ban. ($1 = 0.9175 euros)
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposed political ban for France's Le Pen increasingly prevalent, despite her outrage
By Gabriel Stargardter PARIS (Reuters) - French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who in two weeks will learn her fate in an embezzlement trial, says prosecutors demanding she face an instant five-year public office ban have waged an unheard of assault on her presidential hopes. The 56-year-old National Rally (RN) leader, who leads polls for the 2027 presidential vote, accuses prosecutors of seeking her "political death" by asking judges to bar her from office if convicted - effective immediately even if she appeals. That, she says, is "completely disproportionate" compared to other cases. However, ever since the passage of the Sapin II anti-graft law in 2016, a growing number of politicians convicted of corruption have received such bans, which may worry Le Pen as the March 31 verdict approaches. "These precedents show that judges are in no way inhibited," said Philippe Petit, a lawyer who has represented several disbarred politicians. "The same thing can happen to her." Le Pen, the RN and some two dozen party figures are accused of diverting over 3 million euros ($3.27 million) of European funds to pay staff in France. They say the money was used legitimately. RN spokesperson Laurent Jacobelli did not respond to a request for comment for this article. Prosecutors Louise Neyton and Nicolas Barret's request for an immediate five-year bar on Le Pen, via the so-called "provisional execution" measure, electrified French politics. Typically in France, sentences for non-serious crimes, or those committed by first-time offenders, are not applied until the appeals process has run its course. However, if judges apply a "provisional execution," the sentence begins immediately. Judges can adopt, modify or reject the prosecutors' request. At the request of a disbarred Mayotte councilman, France's constitutional court is analysing the legality of "provisional execution" in cases of ineligibility. A first hearing is on Tuesday with a final ruling due before April 3. A favourable decision would mean Le Pen stands little chance of being barred. However, if convicted and given a five-year "provisional execution" ban, her only hopes of running will rest on her conviction and sentence being overturned before 2027. Neyton and Barret said they sought a "provisional execution" against Le Pen and her co-accused for repeated efforts to play for time in a probe stretching back nearly a decade. An immediate ban would prevent repeat offences, they argued. JUDICIAL OVERREACH? Their push has led to accusations of judicial overreach by Le Pen allies and criticism from some mainstream politicians, including Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin. It has also led to the prosecutors and a judge receiving death threats, Reuters reported, part of growing global frictions over judicial efforts to police politics. Romania's top court recently barred far-right politician Calin Georgescu from running for president, prompting criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump's team. Sapin II aimed to align France's anti-corruption rules with those of its peers and correct a widespread perception of impunity for France's graft-stained political class. The law made ineligibility an automatic punishment for all politicians convicted of corruption. Ineligibility is not restricted to corruption and is also applied for other crimes including sexual offences, fraud and terrorism. In 2023, more than 16,000 people were ruled ineligible, up nearly 1,000% since 2019, according to Justice Ministry data. Reuters could not ascertain how many politicians had been barred from office, as the data does not distinguish between elected officials and other professions. Three disbarred politicians and lawyers told Reuters that prosecutors are increasingly demanding "provisional execution" ineligibility sentences, with judges often complying. Brigitte Bareges, a right-wing former mayor of the southern town of Montauban, was convicted of embezzlement in 2021, and given a fine, suspended prison sentence and five-year political ban with "provisional execution." "It was violent, brutal," she said. "I was so ashamed because all my life I've fought against corruption." Bareges, who was acquitted on appeal, described her "provisional execution" sentence as a hit-job by a politicized judiciary. She said Le Pen has good reason to fear "leftist judges" who "may overstep objectivity ... to eliminate a presidential candidate who could well be elected." The Justice Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. CONFRONTATION LOOMS Eric Landot, a lawyer who has written about the Le Pen trial, said if she is convicted, judges will struggle to strike a balance between showing the law is the same for everyone, while also avoiding accusations of political meddling. Robin Binsard, a lawyer who represents disbarred politician Patrick Balkany, said "whatever decision the judges make, they will be strongly criticized." But he said French lawmakers had struck an own goal by passing Sapin II: "They gave judges the tools to significantly encroach on executive power." A senior RN source said Le Pen's powerful wingman, 29-year-old Jordan Bardella, would run in 2027 if she cannot, but added they believed she would not be barred. For years, the RN has been seeking to cleanse its image by shedding anti-Semitic and racist elements, while also underlining its institutional bona fides. If Le Pen is barred, it could usher in a Trumpian era of confrontation between the RN – the largest party in parliament - and France's institutions. "The risk with this kind of thing is that by constantly attacking the people, one day the people will rise up," said Paul Baudry, the former mayor of Bassussarry in southwest France, who was convicted of graft in 2020, and given a 10-year "provisional execution" ban. ($1 = 0.9175 euros)
