Edouard Levrault case: ECHR declares French magistrate’s application inadmissible
Edouard Levrault © All rights reserved
On Thursday, 25 July, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rejected the application by the French magistrate Edouard Levrault concerning the non-renewal of his secondment to Monaco.
Edouard Levrault had challenged the decision in 2020, citing a violation of his right to a fair trial under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The European court has ruled that his application is inadmissible.
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The Strasbourg Court ruled that the decision not to renew Mr. Levrault’s contract was an administrative rather than a civil measure, rendering Article 6 inapplicable.
Mr Levrault had worked in Monaco for three years, notably handling a highly sensitive case involving Dmitry Rybolovlev, President of AS Monaco, and a number of Monegasque figures including Philippe Narmino, the former Justice Minister, Paul Masseron, former Minister of the Interior, and Christophe Haget, former Director of Monaco’s Criminal Investigation Division. He had also requested that Prince Albert II be interviewed with regard to the case.
In 2019, when his non-renewal was announced, he filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of Monaco, which he considered insufficiently independent and impartial. When this attempt failed, he took the case to the ECHR, which has now ruled against him.
“The ECHR has handed down an appalling decision: it has missed an exceptional opportunity to censure the unacceptable shortcomings of Monegasque rule of law. The ECHR has been issuing rulings of this nature for some time. I think the ECHR’s historical role is finished. It is in decline. Shame,” François Saint-Pierre, Levraut’s lawyer, told Agence France-Presse.