New twist in the second trial of the assassination of Danil Radjan, this Franco-Malagasy economic operator killed in broad daylight, in September 2020 in the basement of a shopping center in Antananarivo. This Monday, March 21, at the criminal court in the Malagasy capital, the four accused, the main one of whom is a Frenchman, were again ” acquitted for the benefit of the doubt “. But at the exit of the courtroom, a dozen armed police positioned in the corridors of the court surrounded the main defendant to arrest him and execute an international arrest warrant.
With our correspondent in Antananarivo, Sarah Tetaud
After seven hours of hearing, the verdict falls. The four accused, prosecuted for “criminal association, complicity in assassination and premeditated murder”, are released for lack of evidence, as they had already been in June 2021.
” A shame for the Malagasy justice “, say the lawyers for the civil party, who regret that the judges refused to add compromising video recordings to the file (in particular those of the surveillance cameras where we see the masked and helmeted assassins entering and leaving the shopping center).
A second time relaxed
Me Njarasoa Tsirimanana is one of the lawyers for the victim’s family. ” The Supreme Court ruling broke the [première] decision. Following this judgment, the case was sent back for a second trial today, and they were acquitted a second time. It’s a court decision, we’re not going to argue about it. But in the criminal procedure code, we have the right to appeal. So that’s what we’re gonna do. »
” The survey was sloppy,” continues Maitre Miadana Ratsimba, the family’s second lawyer. ” During the video of the confession of the alleged assassin which circulated on social networks, Mr. Lionel Lelièvre mentions many powerful people in Madagascar. How is it that the investigating judge did not summon them to testify? How is it that there is no investigation to find out the sponsor(s) of this crime? »
When suddenly, the tone rises, a dozen police officers from the criminal brigade surround the defendants to execute an Interpol warrant.
parody of justice
Me Heriniaina Fanomezantsoa, defense lawyer, thunders: “ Our clients have been acquitted again in ordinary criminal court. We are not against extradition, but we do challenge the violence that has just taken place. If we were able to obtain an acquittal before this parody of justice before which we have struggled for two years, we think that in France, in the countries of human rights, he will be acquitted. »
” We really hope that there will be a definitive release for our client (French, editor’s note) after his acquittal under the principle that no one will be tried twice for the same fact, the same case “, underlines Me Nathalie Rambeloson. ” And there is also a cooperation agreement between France and Madagascar ! »
This “additional international arrest warrant” targeting the former French legionnaire was issued on Monday by an investigating judge from the Paris prosecutor’s office. The reason: the victim’s brother, Moustapha Radjan, also filed a complaint against the Frenchman for attempted assassination suffered in 2017.