Bernard Bonnet (born 11 February 1948), French civil servant, is best known for being the first prefect since World War II to be convicted of an offense committed in the course of his duties,[citation needed] his role in the "Affair of the beach huts".
He entered the French civil service as a tax inspector, a post he occupied for five years before being admitted to the prestigious École Nationale d'Administration (ENA) in the "Guernica" class of 1976.
[citation needed] Bernard Bonnet was named as prefect of Corsica by Jean-Pierre Chevènement on 9 February 1998, just three days after the assassination of his predecessor Claude Erignac.
His role, as announced by Chevènement, was to "restore the state of law",[citation needed] and he quickly showed a firm hand against nationalist groups.
[11] Nevertheless, Bonnet never returned to prison as he was granted probation (liberté conditionnelle) by a Paris judge on 9 June 2006, a decision confirmed on appeal on 12 October 2006.