The Great Trials: Maurice Papon

A high-ranking official under Vichy, a decorated prefect under De Gaulle, a minister under Giscard — Maurice Papon seemed to embody an impeccable career in public service. But behind the façade of the loyal civil servant was a man who, as early as 1942, orchestrated the deportation of hundreds of Jews from Bordeaux to Drancy.

Forty years later, the truth erupts. And in 1997, an extraordinary trial begins — the final act of judicial reckoning — where, for the first time, a senior French official stands accused of crimes against humanity.

In the dock: an 87-year-old man. On the stand: the shadow of a regime, and the silence of the Republic.