One of France’s most senior police commanders has been suspended on suspicion of helping a female colleague cheat “for personal reasons” on the exam for a promotion, reports The Times.
Frédéric Dupuch, 62, inspector-general of the national police, is alleged to have given advance information on the examination to the woman, a chief inspector who works with him at the interior ministry on the staff of Frédéric Veaux, chief of the national force.
He is believed to have been motivated by personal reasons, investigators told French media.
Dupuch is head of the jury that adjudicates the tough examinations that each year select a handful of mid-ranking police officers for entry to the corps of commissaires — France’s equivalent to chief superintendent in Britain.
Most commissaires join this elite body directly at the start of their careers after graduating from the top police training college. Candidates must pass a competitive examination after earning a master’s degree at university.