Assembly reactions of the deputies

February 9, 1999 The trial of three former ministers, Laurent Fabius, Georgina Dufoix, and Edmond Herve, prosecuted for "involuntary manslaughter" in the contaminated blood scandal, opens today before the Court of Justice of the Republic. Reactions from parliamentarians gathered this afternoon in the corridors of the National Assembly. - Parliamentarian Raymond Forni, interim President of the National Assembly, in the rostrum. - Deputy MPs from the benches and government MPs. - Statement from MPs: Patrick Devedjian (RPR): "The Court of Justice represents considerable progress over its predecessor, the High Court, which the Socialists at the time prevented from functioning by blocking all appointments." Arnaud MONTEBOURG (PS): "I think it's natural that everyone who holds political office should be subject to the same law. It's a basic principle invented by the French Revolution that there is no judicial privilege." - DP corridors and hall of the Assembly. - Statement: Francois HOLLANDE (1st Secretary of the PS): "When there have been criminal acts, it's normal that there should be a prosecution, regardless of the perpetrators. But let's be careful, let's not always try to judge when political responsibility can suffice." Anne Marie IDRAC (UDF): "What would bother me is if we moved from an approach of legal responsibility to a search for a scapegoat." Nicole CATALA (RPR): "What I hope is that it doesn't turn into a manhunt." INA archive footage National Audiovisual Institute http://www.ina.fr Subscribe http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c... Subscribe http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c... #INA #Society