Jean-François Ricard

Jean-François Ricard (born 14 July 1956) is a French magistrate, and since 25 June 2019 the first prosecutor of the National Terrorism Prosecution Office (; PNAT) a parquet for the prosecution of terrorism in France.

Early life and education Ricard was born in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine), France.

Career Ricard began his career in December 1982 as a judge in Arras (Pas-de-Calais). He then was a judge in Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis), beginning in December 1986, before joining the judiciary in Paris.

Ricard worked as an investigating judge in charge of terrorism cases for 12 years. With Jean-Louis Bruguière, Ricard was in charge of the file of the 1996 Paris RER bombing on the Réseau Express Régional in Saint-Michel.

From 2006 to 2008 Ricard was seconded to the Ministry of Armed Forces, where he led a team as head of the military criminal affairs division.

French National Terrorism Prosecution Office Ricard advocated for the creation of a French national anti-terrorism prosecution along with Magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière, Michel Debacq (former head of the specialized section of the Paris prosecutor's office), and (former chief of staff of Christiane Taubira and Élisabeth Guigou). the murder of Samuel Paty in October 2020, the 2020 Nice stabbing later that month, and the Rambouillet knife attack in April 2021.

Shortly after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ricard opened three inquiries over possible war crimes in the Ukrainian towns of Mariupol, Hostomel and Chernihiv, all related to acts against French citizens in the country.