At the trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015, the 81st day of hearing before the special assize court of Paris was mainly used to record the postponement of the hearings. This time, two new defendants were infected.
In normal times, the organization of such a trial would already be a challenge. Fourteen defendants present, hundreds of civil parties, a sprawling investigation that extends from Paris to Raqqa, via Brussels, Athens or Gaziantep. Witnesses and investigators to be heard from Belgium, Morocco or Tunisia.
And now the coronavirus epidemic is forcing a new postponement. After Salah Abdeslam and Ali El Haddad Asufi, two new defendants tested positive for Covid-19. In this case, Mohamed Amri and Adel Haddadi. ” This virus seems to want to attach itself to us “, notes, fatalistic, the president of the special assize court Jean-Louis Périès who had just reorganized his calendar. He confirms that the hearings are delayed by at least a week.
” If I were a defense lawyer, I would tell you that it is very annoying for these people who are in the box. Indeed, it will drag on for a year in difficult conditions, regrets Maître Antoine Casubolo, civil party lawyer. Our clients, they want to finally have a judgment, that we know what happened, that the sentences fall. Justice will pass, regardless of the chaotic course of the hearings. »
It is already recorded that the trial which opened on September 8 should extend beyond seven months. Unless there is another unpleasant surprise, the deliberation is scheduled for mid-June.