“You used the law instead of serving it.” This statement by the Prosecutor, Anne de Fontenette, could summarize the trial of the former chief examining magistrate of Nice in the 17th criminal chamber of Paris.
He is judged for hacking criminal records to inform the Masonic Grand Lodge of the French Riviera, of which he was one of the prominent members. Described as the “guardian angel of the lodge’s morality,” the magistrate, who was forcibly retired in October 2004, will explain the accusations against him by citing the increase in membership applications to the Riviera lodge.
Thus, Mr. Renard conducted several checks using the criminal records of these applicants whom he claimed were “motivated by dubious intentions” and more inclined to acquire a network of contacts than to join a lodge where “relations are more fraternal than merely friendly.”
What remains to be seen is what the justice system, which Mr. Renard once served and to which he must now answer, will decide regarding behaviors that could cost him a fine of 10,000 euros and a suspended prison sentence of at least six months.
FV
