Paris Prosecutor Warns of Threats Against Organized Crime Investigators

Paris – 09/08/2026: Those who investigate organized crime in France can become targets themselves. Clémence Girard, head of the relevant department at the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office, warns against underestimating threats against prosecutors and other members of the judiciary. The danger is by no means imagined: several colleagues have already been threatened, and some have had to receive personal protection.

Girard spoke in an interview with Le Monde, reported on by Franceinfo on Sunday. Her warning concerns proceedings against criminal networks whose activities range from drug trafficking and money laundering to serious acts of violence. Intimidation attempts are directed at the people behind the investigations. They can involve their families and private circles, placing considerable strain on the work of the justice system.

No specific current cases or names of affected individuals were mentioned in the report. There is also no public information on suspected perpetrators, ongoing investigations, or the nature and extent of the respective protective measures. The remarks therefore describe a general threat situation, rather than an imminently planned act against a specific person. However, Girard’s reference to protection already having been ordered shows that authorities consider individual warnings to be serious.

France has recently reorganized its judicial structures in the fight against criminal networks. Since January 2026, the National Prosecutor’s Office Against Organized Crime, PNACO, has been operating in Paris. It is intended to centralize particularly complex, interregional and cross-border proceedings. The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office continues to handle numerous relevant cases as well. Specialized prosecutors cooperate with the police, gendarmerie, customs authorities and financial investigators.

The extent to which the risks reach beyond the judiciary is evident from parliamentary information released in the spring. The Senate was told that the threat posed by organized crime had been assessed for 63 people in 2025. The responsible bodies expected a significant increase in 2026. The figure did not refer exclusively to magistrates, but to a broader group of professionally exposed individuals.

For courts and public prosecutor’s offices, the threat situation affects their institutional independence. Protective measures are intended to prevent intimidation from influencing the course of investigations, effectively shifting responsibilities, or prompting employees to withdraw from particularly demanding proceedings. In addition to direct personal protection, this includes careful handling of private data and official information. Girard’s warning thus identifies a duty of protection on the part of the state: members of the judiciary must be able to conduct proceedings against powerful criminal structures without threats determining their decisions.