According to a former federal judge, a prosecutor should not try a case in which he is scratched.
© Archives / Le Matin / Laurent Crottet
Prosecutor Fabien Gasser took it for his rank in the book.
In 2017, as part of criminal proceedings once morest former Friborg State Councilor Marie Garnier, the Attorney General Fabien Gasser had to recuse himself. “20 minutes” had revealed an extramarital relationship that the magistrate had with a woman who attended the meetings of the Council of State. Since Tuesday, Fabien Gasser has been investigating a criminal case once morest former minister Georges Godel and journalist Jean-Marc Angéloz. After the publication of the controversial book “Secrets and confidences of a president”, they are under investigation for breach of official secrecy and instigation to breach official secrecy.
The debate on the recusal of Fabien Gasser is already there. In the book, a scathing sting from the journalist aims at him: “Let us specify that, in the small judicial world of Friborg, he is not considered a light.” For former federal judge Claude Rouiller, “such words hurt a normal person. Written in the book that is the subject of the investigation, they can, depending on the circumstances, give the defendant the legitimate feeling that the magistrate in question might be angry with him. It’s a matter of judgment and I don’t know the case.”
Contacted by “20 minutes”, the Public Ministry limited itself to saying: “For the moment, it is the Attorney General who is instructing.” For the moment…