Article Abstract:
French government representative in Corsica, Bernard Bonnet, has been imprisoned over the burning of a restaurant that had been constructed illegally. The gendarmes who carried out the arson claim that Bonnet has given the orders, though he has not been convicted. Corsica saw an improvement in separatist terror and organized crime while he was in office, and he has been treated as though he were guilty in the French press. France is to include the notion that suspects are innocent until proof has been accepted that they are guilty, as part of the country's penal code.
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Article Abstract:
There have been a number of political scandals in France, but these appear to be due to efforts to tackle political corruption, rather than an increase in corruption itself. The judiciary has gained more power, and politicians have seen their power eroded. There are still drawbacks to the inquisitorial system used by the French judiciary, and magistrates' powers of detention could be abused. There is also concern about public accountability, and the behavior of prefects is the responsibility oth the president and prime minister.
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Article Abstract:
There is a need to reform the French justice system. French public opinion sees the system as tooi nfluenced by politicians who are sometimes corrupt, and they see the police as ineffectual and untrustworthy. There is agreement among politicians that the independence of the judiciary should be strengthened. Prosecuting magistrates, controlled by the justice ministry, open investigations which are carried out by independent examining magistrates.
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