Cauchefer case: bailiff reinstated

In early January, Saint-Martin-based bailiff Antoine Cauchefer was taken into custody as part of a preliminary investigation by the Pointe-à-Pitre gendarmerie's research section. On January 16, he was indicted for a series of alleged offences. The list was long: aggravated fraud, misappropriation of public funds, concealed work, forgery and use of forgeries in public documents, forgery and use of forgeries in private documents, theft, and complicity in usurpation of title, diploma or capacity. The bailiff was subsequently placed under judicial supervision, banned from visiting his office and from working as a judicial commissioner. On July 3, according to a report published by Le Pélican, the Basse-Terre Court of Appeal ordered the proceedings to be lifted and the bailiff reinstated in his duties. As a result, the bailiff will be able to resume work at his office in Saint-Martin and his secondary office in Saint-Barthélemy.