Bruno Retailleau also commented on Sunday on the sword of judicial Damocles that threatens Marine Le Pen. And for the Minister of the Interior, the president of the group National Rally in the National Assembly “is neither below the law nor above it”.
Last week, Marine Le Pen said that the sentence of ineligibility requested at her trial was tantamount to calling for “her political death”.
For Retailleau, “the people must have the last word
Is the MP’s stance a way for her to put “pressure” on the judges? Bruno Retailleau was asked on the RTL/M6/Le Figaro/Public Sénat Grand Jury. “There’s a role-playing game, obviously, and there’s a communication that’s political,” replied the minister, refusing to comment on the substance of the case in the name of the separation of powers. “In a democracy, the people must have the last word, but there are rules of law that must be applied,” he added.
On Wednesday, at the trial of the parliamentary assistants of Rassemblement National MEPs, the prosecution called for Marine Le Pen to be sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, of which two years could be converted into a firm sentence, and for her to be disqualified for five years, to be served immediately.
Verdict still months away
“It’s simply an indictment,” hammered Bruno Retailleau, even though the defense’s closing arguments are due to begin this Monday, and the court’s decision won’t be handed down for several months. “Let’s not be too hasty, let Marine Le Pen defend herself, she has every right to do so.”
Marine Le Pen’s lawyer will plead before the criminal court on the final day of the trial, November 27, the day after the Rassemblement National’s defense.