“I am convinced that corruption can rock civilizations”. Fabrice Arfi, journalist at Mediapartwhich revealed the Woerth-Bettencourt, Karachi, Sarkozy-Kadafi and Cahuzac cases and the one on the carbon mafia, was invited last week to give a topical lecture to the six students of the new university degree “Ethics of public actors” carried by the Clermont-Ferrand Law School and the Anticor association.
Change your perspective on this delinquency
“This DU is intended to be our contribution to the development of a culture of probity”, recalls Fabien Bourcereau, representative of Anticor. This “common decency” which is often only used “as a stepping stone during an electoral campaign, or as a weapon against an opponent, but never considered as a common good”, underlines Fabrice Arfi .For Fabrice Arfi, “we must change our view of this delinquency. Corruption, tax evasion, is the impoverishment of all for the benefit of only one. These are billions that escape the wealth of nations, the hospitals, schools, police stations…”
“If the cases have a meaning, recalls the journalist, it is because they are so many ‘crash-tests’ of our democracy, our institutions, our justice and our laws, but also of our acceptance of things in as a citizen.”
A guilty acceptance, because “we all pay the financial and democratic bill” of corruption which generates immense mistrust and leads to “all rotten”.
As citizens, we have lost our capacity for indignation. These cases are not unbearable for us, we do not take to the streets to denounce corruption and tax evasion, or to defend the freedom of the press.
premium Clermont-Auvergne University will open a DU “Ethics of public actors” to develop the culture of probity
Feeling of impunity, anti-judicial obsession…
For him, there is no doubt that a minister under investigation should resign “so as not to harm the institution and as a precautionary principle”. “In the United States, in Germany, it’s obvious, not with us. As Charles Péguy said, “you have to say what you see, and see what you see” but what do we want not see when six of the last eight Ministers of Justice were convicted or prosecuted for breaches of probity?? They are laughing at us?! How not to consider that the absence of probity makes one incompetent to assume certain functions?? We need to change our perspective on this delinquency,” he said.
The first promotion of the “ethics of public actors” DU will end its training in June with a news conference by a magistrate from the national financial prosecutor’s office.
And because the DU from the Clermont-Ferrand law school aims to contribute to it, Fabrice Arfi detailed the three invariants of the “crime of the privileged”: the feeling of impunity, the anti-judicial obsession and the false hammered without respite.
Corruption may be “just” a legal offence, but it is a gigantic social and democratic crime. It’s up to us to finally open our eyes.
Fabrice Arfi is the author of numerous books including Pas tirs d’affaires, Seuil Libelle, 4.50€. Back to school 2023-2024.
Twenty places for licensees and professionals. Send your applications (cover letters and CV) to Christophe Testard and Fabien Bourcereau at [email protected]. Registration: €900/€600, subject to conditions. Classes take place on Fridays.
Geraldine Messina
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