We must provide French justice with more human and material resources to fight against financial delinquency, in particular to deal with the rise in organized crime: this is the call launched this Monday by 250 magistrates, in two published forums in the newspaper The world. While the French government must soon present an anti-corruption plan, these magistrates are calling for the fight against financial delinquency to be made a “great national cause”.
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“ The fight against financial delinquency is a profitable investment for the budget and vital for democracy and the rule of law », underline in a first stand 130 senior magistrates, including the leaders of the national financial center (PNF).
These professionals note that despite the significant recruitment of justice personnel announced – 10,000 new positions by 2027 including 1,500 magistrates and 1,800 clerks, financial litigation ” remains one of the poor relatives of the criminal chain » in relation to the fight against drug trafficking, terrorism or even public crime for example.
These recruitments massive » will however not be enough « without new impetus from public authorities. […] The number of specialized investigators is very low “, we can read.
When a police officer manages an average of 180 cases per year, the workload can reach “ 500 to 800 files » by civil servant in economic and financial services, point out the signatories.
“ A lasting lack of resources »
This lack of resources is all the more critical as organized crime “ explodes “, underlines in another forum a collective of 120 magistrates, led by Audrey Bailleul and Marion Cackel, and from the eight specialized interregional jurisdictions of France (JIRS) created twenty years ago to fight against organized crime.
“ At the port of Le Havre, cocaine seizures more than doubled between 2019 and 2022. In the West Indies, at the end of February 2024, in just over a week, there were 8.3 tonnes cumulative quantities of this drug that have been intercepted or discovered », regret the magistrates.
The latter claim to be forced to give up taking on certain organized crime cases or abandon their financial aspect, while “ only the confiscation of assets and the rise of money laundering networks can have a long-term impact » on this type of delinquency.
“ The JIRS investigating judges, responsible for monitoring these investigations, should be four times more numerous. […] The investigating chambers of the courts of appeal are also understaffed », squeak the magistrates who conclude in these terms: “ So what do we want today? Give us the means to fight effectively against the most serious and complex crime, or accept that the dikes are giving way? “.