Focus on France 7 January 2009
Judges role to be redefined
Article published on the 2009-01-07 Latest update 2009-01-08 18:20 TU
Rachida Dati speaks in the National Assembly
(Photo: Reuters)
The French government is thinking of scrapping the juge d'instruction, the examining magistrate who leads a judicial enquiry listening to both sides of the case and deciding whether to proceed with a prosecution. The system may be changed with a move towards the adversarial system used in the US and UK but not everyone is convinced of the need for change.
Focus on France: The end of the examining magistrate?
