“The court has honored Bernard Petit, believes his counsel, Mr.e Arthur Dethomas. But you can’t help but feel dizzy thinking about the life of this man, the career of this great policeman who changed. » Eight years after seeing his professional life collapse, when a decree from the Minister of the Interior suspended him from his duties in February 2015, the former head of the Parisian judicial police was released on Tuesday December 6, of all the facts with which he was charged.
Bernard Petit was accused, alongside his deputy at the time Richard Atlan, of having disclosed confidential information on an ongoing investigation, targeting the former prefect Christian Prouteau. This one had teamed up with the notorious crook Christophe Rocancourt, who offered, in return for payment, to use his interpersonal skills to obtain the regularization of two Moroccan sisters threatened with expulsion.
The charge targeting MM. Petit and Atlan relied almost exclusively on the testimony of another defendant in this sprawling trial of the “leaks of 36”: Philippe Lemaître, a former ministry official, resettled within the association of social works of the police (ANAS).
“He lies, all the time, about everything”
It was his confession before the investigating judges Roger Le Loire and Charlotte Bilger that led to the indictment of the head of the PJ in February 2015. Mr. Lemaître assures the investigating judges that he acted on the orders of his superior, the influential Joaquin Masanet, historical figure of police unionism and boss of the ANAS, by going to seek information from Mr. Petit, in order to deliver them to Christian Prouteau, a Freemason just like Mr. Masanet, assures- he.
Alas, the whole building collapsed during the three weeks of hearing before the 11e Chamber of the Paris Court of Justice. Faced with specific questions from the president, Benjamin Blanchet, Philippe Lemaître is annoyed and confused, explaining one day that he lied to the investigating magistrates, before returning the next day to his initial version. “He lies, all the time, about everything”, was sorry Bernard Petit, very moved, at the helm. The prosecution could only agree in its submissions: it is “extremely difficult to follow [M. Lemaître] in his statements tant “his version has changed radically”, had noted the prosecutor Damien Fourn, requesting the release of MM. Small and Atlan. A choice that President Blanchet respected by pronouncing the general release in this part of the file.
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