2023 is coming to an end. A strange carriage appears on the Place Dauphine in Paris. He rushes inside the Caveau du Palais, the bar’s favorite restaurant. Around the table, the former economy minister Arnaud Montebourg, the lawyer and National Rally MEP Alexandre Varaut, Basile Ader, former vice-president of Paris, Me Rodolphe Bosselut, appointed lawyer for Marine Le Pen, Maître Pascale Lalère, specialist in family law, or Nicolay Fakiroff, lawyer, also from the extreme right party.
On this day, the small group celebrates a birthday. Thirty years ago they participated in the same promotion of the Practice Conference, a famous elocution competition, the absolute holy grail for any budding lawyer. Since then, they have gotten into the habit of meeting once or twice a year. The atmosphere is warm, the table lively. We’re joking. “For my Legion of Honor, you will address the Marine!”, laughs a guest. “Marine” is Marine Le Pen.
They have all come a long way in three decades. Some did it side by side. Today, Alexandre Varaut, Rodolphe Bosselut and Nicolay Fakiroff are assisting Marine Le Pen in the so-called “parliamentary assistants” case, whose trial opened on September 30 at the Paris Criminal Court. “It’s the mafia of conference secretaries,” laughs Alexandre Varaut. The affair does not make everyone laugh. “I’m not coming to this dinner, they’re all fascists,” said Arnaud Montebourg, one of the former classmates. The disappointed socialist believes that political disagreements have no place in this 30-year-old friendship, whose history began in 1993.
“Promo 93”
We are under Mitterrand. They are in their thirties and young lawyers. With varied profiles to say the least. Alexandre Varaut, employed at the time with Philippe de Villiers, followed in the footsteps of his father, Jean-Marc, first secretary of the class of 1959, and trainee of Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancourt (lawyer and far-right candidate in 1965). presidential election). He quickly befriended Rodolphe Bosselut, son of the RPR mayor of Font-Romeu, who is defined as “right-wing” but has no intention of pursuing a career in politics. Arnaud Montebourg, a socialist activist since 1985, remembers lively debates in the promotion: “I remember that we often had heated discussions on the topic, what could we have argued about Pétain!” Alexandre Varaut says he saw the former minister say “Marshal here we are!”, “in second degree obviously”, during a conference dinner. “Nicolay Fakiroff, he was the obvious right-right White Russian,” comments a former comrade “He was viscerally anti-Communist, it was a kind of style, it was very aesthetic.” In short, Montebourg sums up: “It was a very politicized promotion, we laughed a lot, but always with a lot of kindness.”
The socialist becomes valedictorian. At the time, he drew the admiration of his peers. Especially Rodolphe Bosseluts, whom he surpasses during an oratorical duel. “The topic was: does the public domain belong to everyone? For my level I had given a good speech. I sat down again. And I quickly understood that humility must always be remembered by you. Arnaud gave a speech terrible, funny, brilliant, fine ”, Bosselut recalls in the columns GQ. A strong bond is formed between comrades. Arnaud Montebourg becomes godfather to Rodolphe Bosselut’s son, and this unusual campaign brings a smile to the Parisian bar.
Marine Le Pen and “the conf”
Other dreamed then of attending the conference. Especially a young lawyer. She works with the lawyer and frontist member of parliament Georges-Paul Wagner, and her name is Marine Le Pen. In the corridors of the Palace of Justice, many people refuse to speak to him. It is not always good to be the daughter of the “devil of the Republic”. Alexandre Varaut and Rodolphe Bosselut do not have this modesty and willingly shake hands in front of the press room. Marine Le Pen is getting into the habit of being friends with former “conf” secretaries. Often she goes to the elders’ table in the palace’s refreshment bar, where Nicolay Fakiroff is regularly found, who worked at the time with Jean-Baptiste Biaggi, a close friend of Jean-Marie Le Pen. Contact happens naturally. Marine le Pen would like to try it. Former secretaries advise against him. The episode was reported in L’Express. “You’re going to get massacred, don’t go there,” Jean Balan advises him. “If you run, you must distance yourself politically from your father from your first speech,” warns Chabert. “You’re an idiot, you don’t understand anything,” she says back. She finally gives up, convinced that she would have no chance of being accepted. She keeps in close contact with the few former secretaries. Especially those from the class of 1993.
One day in 2016, Alexandre Varaut’s phone rang. Marine Le Pen on the line. The offices of the National Front have just been searched on suspicion of fictitious employment in Strasbourg. She needs a lawyer. Confidence is better – he has already worked for the far right party for two years. Who knows how the European Parliament ideally works. Sold. The former house builder starts working on the case. And participates in the constitution of the defense team. This case requires what he calls UN-compliant lawyers. “There is a political logic behind it, you know that if you do a good job, you help improve the image of the RN and its position,” claims Alexandre Varaut. It’s good he knows a few profiles. His friend Rodolphe Bosselut, of course, who already worked with Marine Le Pen. Nicolay Fakiroff, also recommended by the boss.
The conference, a recruitment pool for RN
The conference is a great place for networking and a good breeding ground for those who know how to use it. Yann Le Pen wants to change lawyers? Thibault de Montbrial no longer suits him? – “It’s very expensive and doesn’t do much,” says a friendly colleague. Never mind, we know a little young man very well: Grégoire Etrillard, class of 2011. Alexandre Varaut, elected to the European Parliament, can no longer defend as a lawyer? Solange Doumik, class of 1995, will do the job very well. The puzzle is complete in the course of the accusations, and the frontists draw willingly from among the former secretaries who meet regularly at the home of lawyer François Wagner, avenue de la Grande Armée, to prepare for the trial. Marine Le Pen makes a few appearances.
Former secretaries also sign up for the candidate lists. Pascale Pierra, member of the 1995 class, appears on the RN list for the European elections, and is elected to the European Parliament on 9 June. Francis Szpiner, president of the conference association, cannot believe it: “It is unbelievable! The fact that lawyers now appear with the RN brand or as sympathizers is a real turning point in the standardization of the party.” The lawyers in question are enjoying it on their side. “There are some who will choke at the conference when they read your paper,” rejoices Alexandre Varaut. Within the class of 1993, however, no one was surprised to discover the names of their comrades next to Marine Le Pen’s name. The WhatsApp loop continues to live. Recently, Arnaud Montebourg was even praised by the front trio for his interview on April 14, 2024 in Le Figaro. “Excellent interview, I could have signed,” laughed Alexandre Varaut. Caveau du Palais can be sure that the dinners will not stop.
.
