Claude Jean Pierre Érignac (; 15 December 1937 – 6 February 1998) was a

French prefect A prefect (french: préfet, plural ''préfets'') in France is the state's representative in a department or region. Subprefects (French: ''sous-préfets'') are responsible for the subdivisions of departments, known as arrondissements. The offi ...

on the island of Corsica. Érignac was born in Mende, Lozère. In the course of his political career, he had been prefect of several departments and overseas departments since 1967. In 1996 he went to Ajaccio in Corsica to take office as the

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

Corse-du-Sud Corse-du-Sud (; co, link=no, Corsica suttana , or ; en, Southern Corsica) is (as of 2019) an administrative department of France, consisting of the southern part of the island of Corsica. The corresponding departmental territorial collect ...

. He was assassinated at 9:15 p.m. on 6 February 1998 in Ajaccio on his way to a classical music concert by two gunmen who shot him three times with a 9 mm Beretta pistol. The weapon had been stolen on 6 September 1997, when members of the

National Liberation Front of Corsica The National Liberation Front of Corsica ( co, Fronte di liberazione naziunale di a Corsica or ; french: Front de libération nationale corse, abbreviated FLNC) was a militant group that advocates an independent state on the island of Corsica, se ...

stormed a gendarmerie barracks at Pietrosella. Corsican nationalist militant Yvan Colonna was suspected of the killing, and was arrested in 2003. He was found guilty for the third time in June 2011 for the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Érignac's wife, children and some associates established the Claude-Érignac Association soon after his death. The bylaws of the association were published in the ''Journal officiel'' on 5 February 2000. The French Ministry of the Interior at Place Beauvau in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, inaugurated a hall in his name in the ministry.

References

1937 births 1998 deaths People from Mende, Lozère University of Paris alumni Sciences Po alumni École nationale d'administration alumni Assassinated French politicians French murder victims People murdered in France Prefects of France Prefects of Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefects of Yvelines Prefects of Corse-du-Sud Deaths by firearm in France French civil servants {{CorseSud-politician-stub