Overview
- Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Nov. 21 that the Rennes-Vézin prison director was removed from his post after a detainee escaped during a Nov. 14 planetarium visit, saying the official committed a fault but should remain in the civil service.
- The deputy director has taken over on an interim basis while authorities seek a replacement.
- An internal process reportedly flagged failures including a lack of notification to the interregional prison authority, insufficient staffing, and the use of education personnel rather than prison officers to escort the group.
- The fugitive is a 37-year-old convicted of thefts through March 2027 who had previously escaped; the non-violent escape was recorded in the national wanted-persons file and he remains at large.
- Prison director unions condemned the move, with SNDP-CFDT calling it a public scapegoating, and FO Justice on Nov. 22 denouncing an injustice and claiming a judge approved the group permission and the interregional authority was informed.