Éric Halphen
Encyclopedia
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
judge best known as the investigating magistrate in the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian low-cost housing scandals of the 1990s.
Timeline
- 1959. (October 5) Born at Clichy-la-Garenne (Hauts-de-SeineHauts-de-SeineHauts-de-Seine is designated number 92 of the 101 départements in France. It is part of the Île-de-France region, and covers the western inner suburbs of Paris...
). Later received his baccalaureatBaccalauréatThe baccalauréat , often known in France colloquially as le bac, is an academic qualification which French and international students take at the end of the lycée . It was introduced by Napoleon I in 1808. It is the main diploma required to pursue university studies...
in literature at VersaillesVersaillesVersailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
, and studied law at Assas.
- 1982. Graduated from the École nationale de la magistrature (ENM).
- 1984. Examining magistrate at DouaiDouai-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...
, and then ChartresChartresChartres is a commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is located southwest of Paris.-Geography:Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country...
.
- 1989. Elected to the Tribunal de Grande instance at Créteil as investigating magistrate.
- 1994. Start of the Paris HLM scandal.
- 2002. Retired as a judge.
The Paris HLM scandal
In January 1994 Halphen began an inquiry following the discovery of a series of forged invoices between Jean-Claude Méry and companies that were providing services to HLMs (subsidised low-cost housing) in Paris. In September 1994, Jean-Claude Méry, a former member of the central committee of the RPR political party was imprisoned for his involvement.The inquiry also investigated the conduct of the HLM office in the neighbouring Hauts-de-Seine département, at the time run by Didier Schuller and Patrick Balkany, close associates of Charles Pasqua
Charles Pasqua
Charles Pasqua is a French businessman and Gaullist politician. He was Interior Minister from 1986 to 1988, under Jacques Chirac's cohabitation government, and also from 1993 to 1995, under the government of Edouard Balladur...
. In December 1994, Jean-Pierre Maréchal, Halphen's father-in-law, was arrested in Roissy when he was seen receiving a briefcase full of money from Didier Schuller, in what was later described as a failed attempt to bribe Halphen. Didier Schuller disappeared, only returning from hiding in 2002.
In 1996 the former vice president of OPAC – the public body controlling low-cost housing – François Ciolina, exposed corruption surrounding the HLM apartment owned by the son of Jean Tiberi
Jean Tiberi
Jean Tiberi is a French politician who was mayor of Paris from May 22, 1995 to March 24, 2001. , he is mayor of the 5th arrondissement of Paris and deputy to the French National Assembly from the second district of Paris....
, the mayor of Paris. In June of that year, Halphen ordered a search of the mayor's house only to be prevented from doing so when the policemen on the scene, following orders from their superiors, refused to take part. They were later sanctioned.
In 1999 Jean Tiberi was again investigated for "complicity in corruption". The mayor, acting in his role as head of Opac, denied all wrong-doing and in November Halphen closed the case.
The following year, shortly after the death of Jean-Claude Méry, the newspaper Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
published the contents of a film made in December 1995 by journalist Arnaud Hamelin. In the tape, Méry spoke of how he had delivered 5 million Francs in cash to Michel Roussin, chief of staff of then prime minister Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
. Halphen relaunched the HLM inquiry, and in March 2001 summoned president Chirac to give testimony in the case, although Chirac refused claiming that it would be incompatible with his duties as president.
In September 2001 the court of appeal ruled that Halphen did not have sufficient grounds to reopen the case and overturned all its findings. He was removed from the investigations and replaced with judge Armand Riberolles.
In January 2002 Halphen announced that he was quitting his position as judge and turned to writing. He was a vocal supporter of Jean-Pierre Chevènement
Jean-Pierre Chevènement
Jean-Pierre Chevènement is a French politician. He was Minister of Defense from 1988 to 1991 and Minister of the Interior from 1997 to 2000. He was a presidential candidate in 2002 and since 2008 has been a member of the Senate....
's presidential campaign, later distancing himself after Chevènement fell in with the political right. He is a member of Roland Castro's 'Mouvement de l'Utopie Concrète'.