The Criminal Liability of Politicians in France

In: The Cambridge yearbook of European legal studies: CYELS, Band 3, S. 65-78

Abstract

In an unusual step the Conseil constitutionnel published a communiqué on 10 October 2000 concerning the criminal liability of the head of state. In it, the Conseil stated that "the criminal law position of the Head of State does not confer a 'criminal immunity', but a privilege of jurisdiction during his tenure of office". This statement contains the nub of the difficulty in understanding how French law treats the criminal law liability of the head of state and of ministers. Does the Constitution afford them immunity for their actions performed during their tenure of office, or does it merely make provision for a different court to try the offences?