MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2020) The appointment of controversial criminal lawyer Eric Dupond-Moretti, who is notoriously known for his defense of an accomplice of a terrorist, to the head of the Justice Ministry was the idea of French President Emmanuel Macron, newly appointed French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Wednesday on the BFMTV and RMC broadcaster.
The Names of the ministers of the country's new cabinet led by former civil servant Jean Castex were unveiled to the public on Monday. The appointment of star criminal lawyer Dupond-Moretti as the new justice minister sparkled protests among judiciary unions and women's rights groups. In particular, he is known as a critic of the MeToo movement and a defender of Abdelkader Merah, the brother of Toulouse terrorist Mohamed Merah and his suspected accomplice.
"The president had the idea, I received it and I made the proposal," Castex said, adding that he supports such a choice because the appointment of "such a person as Dupond-Moretti to the head of this [Ministry of Justice] means that justice will be considered."
Dupond-Moretti replaced Socialist jurist Nicole Belloubet at the post.
The prime minister also defended the appointment of Gerald Darmanin, former Minister of Public Action and Accounts, as head of the Interior Ministry. His candidature has also been challenged by feminist activists, as he is the subject of an investigation for rape that was relaunched in mid-June. Darmanin firmly denies all accusations.
He replaced the previous interior minister, Christophe Castaner, as the former found himself amid the criticism in the midst of a global wave of protests against police brutality. France has seen several mass demonstrations in support of the US Black Lives Matter movement, and Castaner was pressured by protesters and police unions, with the initial intention of banning chokeholds in policing but then canceling it.
When asked about Macron's controversial pension reform that sparked nationwide protests, Castex said he intends to "reopen the dialogue" with the unions on the matter halted by the coronavirus pandemic before July 20. However, he did not specify the "solution" for the upcoming discussions, saying that the priorities would be the consultations of the future universal pension system and the financing of the current system undermined by the health crisis.
The pension project advanced by the President seeks to replace 42 different pension schemes with a universal, points-based system, threatening to deprive certain categories of retirees of their perks.
