Followed 196 Cars to Evade Tolls... French Judge Faces Dismissal

Filed False Report of License Plate Theft After Receiving Penalty Notice

"No Excuse... Also Influenced by the Nice Terror Attack"

A judge in France is facing dismissal after being caught using deceptive tactics nearly 200 times to avoid paying highway tolls.

According to local media outlets such as CNews on the 18th (local time), the French Ministry of Justice recently requested the High Council of the Judiciary (CSM) to dismiss an investigating judge from the Marseille District Court in southern France.

This judge was convicted last year of habitual toll evasion (fraud) and received a 14-month suspended prison sentence along with a fine of 16,000 euros (approximately 27.8 million won).

Investigations revealed that between 2024 and 2025, the judge evaded paying tolls a total of 173 times by riding a scooter closely behind the vehicle in front to slip through the barrier while passing through a tunnel in Marseille. In addition, between 2023 and 2024, the judge committed a further 23 infractions on other highways using similar methods.

The judge also made attempts to conceal the crimes. After receiving the first penalty notice, the judge falsely reported that the license plate had been stolen and subsequently obtained a new plate.

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Pixabay

However, the offenses came to light when the judge was caught by police for a traffic violation. The police tracked a scooter that ran a red light, and during the license plate check, confirmed that it was using a counterfeit plate. Further investigation revealed that the actual driver was the judge in question.

During a disciplinary committee composed of fellow judges, the judge admitted, "There is no excuse," but insisted the offenses were not motivated by financial reasons. The judge also confessed, "There was no thrill or pleasure in breaking the rules; I just couldn’t stop."

The judge cited trauma from the Nice terror attack on July 14, 2016, as the underlying cause of these actions. At the time, the judge was on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice with his ex-wife and later took on prosecutorial duties in response to the attack.

The judge explained, "After ensuring my ex-wife was in a safe place, I immediately had to perform prosecutorial duties. It was a nightmare." He went on to say that his life gradually unraveled after the Nice terror attack and argued that the toll fraud was an indirect consequence. The Nice attack occurred in 2016, when a man of Tunisian descent drove a 19-ton truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day, resulting in 86 deaths and more than 400 injuries.

However, the Ministry of Justice did not accept this explanation. A spokesperson stated, "The risk of reoffending cannot be ruled out," and added, "Given the nature and gravity of the violations, it is impossible for the judge to continue his career." A psychiatrist who examined him also reported that no direct link could be established between the Nice attack and the toll fraud.

Meanwhile, the High Council of the Judiciary is expected to make its final decision in June. Depending on the outcome, the judge’s legal career may effectively come to an end. Currently, he is suspended from work.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.