“I am from La Paillade”: the exceptional career of Abdelkrim Grini, the new prosecutor of Alès

Abdelkrim Grini, nouveau procureur d’Alès, a conservé des liens étroits avec son quartier. Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

L’ancien avocat de Montpellier est de retour dans le ressort de la cour d’appel de Nîmes.

"I'm from La Paillade. I have seen and been around delinquency. I know the tough neighborhoods. Violent delinquency, reiterating imposes firmness, asserts the new public prosecutor of Alès, Abdelkrim Grini.

The tone is set, the speech direct and unambiguous. "I am firm, I claim it. I am also responsive because I have a sense of reality. We cannot agree to give ground in the face of delinquency. I nevertheless retain a sense of prevention and discernment."

A rich career as a lawyer before choosing the prosecution

Arriving in Alès where he had already served as a substitute placed under the attorney general, the magistrate began to make his mark and instill his style. "I will be on the ground with elected officials, security forces, associations and administrations. Prosecutor in Alès, it’s a position that I wanted, asked for and obtained! I am delighted to return to the territory. In addition, my ties, my family, my friends, are from Montpellier."

For thirteen years, Abdelkrim Grini wore the black robe of the lawyers of the Montpellier bar. Very young counsel, "I was the first lawyer to come out of La Paillade", Abdelkrim Grini participates in “testing” at the entrance to night establishments in Montpellier. Following a procedure as long as it was tedious, the law underwent significant changes in the fight against discrimination at the entrance to clubs. "It’s a real pride to have, with my friends, changed jurisprudence. It’s more effective than breaking windows or burning vehicles."

I give back to my country what it gave me. And I was given a lot

Another highlight of his now former career as a lawyer, the defense, in the French part of the American proceedings, of Montpellier resident Zacarias Moussaoui, accused of being the 20th terrorist who should have been on board the planes which crashed in New York on September 11, 2001. Despite the issues as exciting as they were, the Montpellier native wanted to take his career in another direction. After abandoning his lawyer's robe, he headed to the National School of Magistracy in Bordeaux. Thus, in 2011, Abdelkrim Grini arrived at the Bobigny prosecutor's office (Seine-Saint-Denis). It was then a return to the jurisdiction of the Nîmes Court of Appeal for five years before joining the Roanne public prosecutor's office in 2019 for a new five-year term.

The former lawyer justifies his change of camp: "Lawyer means standing up against injustice. Defend private interests. I preferred to defend the general interest. It’s a source of pride because I don’t forget where I come from. I am the son of a Moroccan immigrant. I give back to my country what it gave me. And I was given a lot."

Also read: Abdelkrim Grini, public prosecutor of Alès: "I am for firmness and I claim it"

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