Following the decision of the Council of State, which favored the opening to the public of the place of worship on Pontremoli Street managed by the En Nour association and the reaction of Christian Estrosi, who continues his “political” opposition, Prefect Adolphe Colrat broke his silence to report on the legal situation and its administrative consequences in this case.
The Prefect revisits the legal aspect of the matter: “The Council of State reiterated in an order dated January 19, 2016, that judicial decisions are acts prescribed by law, and it is incumbent upon the various administrative authorities to take, within their respective areas of competence, the measures required to comply with judicial decisions. The Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes is therefore obliged to exercise his hierarchical power to ensure the execution of the Council of State’s interim judge’s order dated June 30, 2016.
The conclusion is self-evident: “The Mayor of Nice is given a twenty-four-hour deadline to apply this decision. Failing that, the Prefect will automatically step in under article 2215-1 of the General Code of Local Authorities.”
But, but… the Prefect’s statement doesn’t stop there: “This application of the regulations concerning establishments open to the public does not prevent the continuation of the two requests made by the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes to the association, aiming to integrate the new establishment into an Islam respectful of the Republic’s values:
- a governance representative of a unified departmental Islam, establishing a transparent and trusting institutional relationship with public authorities;
- independence of the association from any external influence, particularly in financial terms.
Following Christian Estrosi’s accusations about the origin of the funding, without any proof being provided to date that this financial transaction does not adhere to transparency and traceability conditions, the Prefect specifically requests “a donation from the current owner of the premises, without compensation, in favor of the association. Such a donation would address concerns related to the risks of external interference and the funding of this place of worship.”
And, most importantly, it would write the word “end” to a story that does not deserve all the ink that has been spilled to write it.
Unfortunately, when one tries to substitute law with politics…
