The administrative court of Paris canceled the approval of Anticor on Friday June 23, announced the anti-corruption association, on the front line on several sensitive political and financial files. “Anticor’s anti-corruption approval has been canceled by the administrative court with retroactive effect from April 2, 2021. This cancellation constitutes a serious attack on democracy, as well as on freedoms of association,” the association said on its account. Twitter.
Granted by the government and renewed for three years on April 2, 2021, the authorization granted to Anticor allowed it to take legal action in cases of alleged corruption and breach of probity, in particular in the event of inaction by the prosecution.
The president of Anticor, Elise Van Beneden, who fears that this decision will have “very negative impacts” for several ongoing political and financial files, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that she wanted to file two appeals before the court. Administrative Appeal of Paris: one to challenge the merits of the decision and one “to request that the effects of the decision be suspended” in time. The association clarified that “an application for new approval” will be filed quickly.
The decree of April 2, 2021, signed by former Prime Minister Jean Castex, who had renewed Anticor’s approval for three years, was contested by two dissidents from the association. For the applicants, the approval should not have been granted for lack of conditions fulfilled by Anticor: independent and disinterested nature of its activities, information of its members on management, etc. During a first hearing, on April 21, the public rapporteur had concluded in their direction, asking the court to annul the decree by considering that the latter was “clearly tainted” by an “error of law”.
The association, created in 2002, is currently involved in 159 ongoing proceedings, according to its president. Two other associations have this possibility: Sherpa and Transparency International.