Article
Portrait of anti-corruption Magistrate turned MEP Eva Joly
Institutions - 10-12-2009 - 11:10
The Interview: Corruption hinders development of the poorest
Since July Parliament's Development Committee has had former French magistrate Eva Joly at its head. Ms Joly is "energetic, ready to move mountains" and was a courageous magistrate, according to those who followed her work. In her new role, she is determined to fight tax havens. We hear from some of those who know her well.
"She is someone particularly lively, energetic, with a great sense of curiosity. She is a leader and is open to new ideas and meeting new people. When she is caught up in an idea she is ready to move mountains to achieve her ends" says Laurent Beccaria, a publisher who has known her since 1998.
William Bourdon, a lawyer, met her through financial business where he was counsel for the people she had indicted. "I could find myself in situations of true wrestling with her, with real differences of view professionally. But I've never been among the lawyers who stigmatised her at the time."
"Those in power are not necessarily more intelligent or interesting"
According to Mr Bourdon she was "a very determined and courageous magistrate....She was always ready to defend those values and principles in which she believes".
Eva Joly
- Born 5 December 1943 in Oslo, Norway
- 1961, leaves Norway to go to Paris where she meets her future husband Pascal Joly,
- 1981, begins her career as a magistrate
- 1990, named examining magistrate, she was instrumental in a number of high profile cases like Elf
- 1996, responsible for the imprisonment of Loïk Le Floch-Prigent, Elf's former CEO, for embezzlement
- 2002, advisor to the Norwegian government in the fight against corruption
- 2009, advisor to the Icelandic government during investigations into the Icelandic banking system
- 2009, elected to the European Parliament on the "Europe Écologie" list
She has a deep sense of justice "above all about the injustice of the powerful", according to Mr Beccaria. She was born to a modest background and has made many study trips, to Norway and France, a country with a strong social caste system. She was very surprised to find that those in power were not necessarily the most intelligent, interesting or strongest on the contrary they were simply people who had power. "
A fighter in the EP
Is the consensual structure of the EP suitable for a fighter like Eva Joly? Mr Bourdon thinks that "an institution like the EP needs atypical personalities who know how to move the lines like Eva Joly. Laurent Beccaria adds that the fact that it is towards the end of her public career gives her greater freedom.
Beccaria and Bourdon believe that the fight against tax havens will be a priority for Ms Joly. "She has seen what a terrible source of inequality it is," Beccaria says. "She was much more centrist in the 90s but after what she saw in her investigations, she has become more activist and more radical".
Mr Beccaria hopes she will impose a new vision on development. "She doesn't have a moral vision, but a vision of political justice: justice for her is about restoring the balance, as most of the time justice is a means of domination by the powerful over the poor. Regarding development aid, it is essential that justice is also exercised against the powerful. If she can encapsulate that, she may create a new vision of things."
"The career of Ms Joly: a great lesson for older women"
The career of Ms Joly serves as a lesson for 50 year old women, according to Mr Beccaria. "Ms Joly was a judicial counsellor in a psychiatric hospital and at about 50, after raising her children, she began her public life. It is a great lesson to show that the new generation of women can do great things at an age when some people are already thinking of retiring. It's an impressive example!"
REF.: 20091207STO66064