The CNews presenter withdrew his cassation appeal against his conviction for sexual harassment, thereby making it final in turn. Reassessing his initial promise, the Bolloré group’s channel nevertheless keeps Jean-Marc Morandini on the air.
“In case of conviction, Jean-Marc Morandini and iTélé already planned that he would leave the group without compensation.” Dated August 25, 2016, the promise has aged poorly. That summer, the information channel, which became CNews, belonging to Vincent Bolloré’s Canal+ group, confirmed the arrival of the presenter despite the emergence, in Les Inrocks, of an investigation in which young actors recounted the conditions of a scandalous casting organized by the television host. And the communiqué invoked “the respect for the principle of the presumption of innocence”.
Ten years later, Jean-Marc Morandini is definitively convicted in the two cases that brought him to court, for “corruption of a minor” and for “sexual harassment.” The presenter has indeed withdrawn on January 22 his cassation appeal against his conviction for sexual harassment, BFMTV learned this Tuesday. On January 14 already, the Court of Cassation had made definitive his other conviction for corruption of minors, for sexually explicit messages sent to three teenagers between 2009 and 2016.
Morandini convicted in cassation
On the facts of sexual harassment, the presenter had been sentenced on appeal to 18 months in prison with a suspended sentence, found guilty of having “used pressures to obtain a sexual act” from a young actor. He must also pay a fine of 10,000 euros and compensate the victim, and has also the obligation to undergo psychological care. Regarding the corruption of minors, he received two years in prison with a suspended sentence and a 20,000 euro fine, a sentence accompanied by a definitive ban from practicing a profession in contact with minors, as well as his registration on the database of sexual offenders.
Or therefore, the 60-year-old presenter still hosts “Morandini Live,” his daily show. In the wake of the Court of Cassation’s decision, CNews had confirmed his continuation on the air, arguing that “Jean-Marc Morandini continues his fight for justice”, Morandini having indicated that he was now even considering a direct appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Internal crisis at CNews
Internally, voices rise to challenge the group’s decision. At Canal+, the +Libres union has thus demanded “the departure of Jean-Marc Morandini without compensation”, as the channel’s management had committed in the event of a conviction. On air, confronted about the issue by a guest, Socialist MP Jérôme Guedj, journalist Sonia Mabrouk distanced herself without calling for his departure: “Your question is legitimate, I admit I haven’t slept for several days”, she had replied. According to information from Le Monde, which speaks of an “internal crisis”, this “surprise plea triggered the ire of Serge Nedjar, the head of CNews, who demanded the head of the star anchor.”
The status quo “is not desirable, even for Morandini”, says an internal source to AFP, lamenting that “those who attack the channel will use this story”. In September 2016, after his indictment for corruption of minors, the newsroom went on strike for a month to protest the arrival of the presenter on the air.
