French arrest warrant could be issued against Rokia Traoré

Malian singer Rokia Traoré pictured in May 2015 during the Cannes film festival. Loic VENANCE / AFP

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After his hasty departure from France on May 9 for Bamako, will Rokia Traoré one day be able to return to Europe? The question arises after his hasty departure from France on May 9 for Bamako. She could be subject to a new warrant, this time issued by France for violation of her judicial control, in addition to that issued by Belgium.

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Arrested in France on March 10, 2020, Rokia Traoré was placed under judicial supervision for not respecting a judgment rendered in 2019, which required her to surrender her five-year-old daughter to her Belgian father. She was awaiting delivery to Belgium, delayed due to the health crisis associated with Covid-19. According to the Paris Court of Appeal, the singer did not go to the police station on May 15, as her judicial control required her to do, however, every week.

The lawyer of his ex-companion is surprised at the ease with which the Malian singer was able to leave for Bamako in full confinement: "  I wrote the Minister of the Interior to find out how people placed under judicial supervision with a ban to leave French territory can leave it by means of private flights which leave from Le Bourget. How it is possible ? You take a fine of 130 euros when you travel 100 kilometers outside your area of ​​residence, but you can take a plane to Mali from Le Bourget with I don't know that it was a passport since it had returned it to French authorities! "

The investigators are trying to gather elements which would prove that Rokia Traoré has illegally evaded French justice. In the coming hours, the singer could therefore be subject to a new arrest warrant for violation of judicial control, which would be added to that, still in progress, issued by Belgium in a custody case parental opposing him to his ex-companion.

According to his lawyer, Kenneth Feliho, Rokia Traoré left France on May 9 by plane thanks to his Malian diplomatic passport. A return necessary according to him, to avoid having his child left behind in Mali removed.

The lawyer is also already sketching out his future legal actions: If France in turn issues an arrest warrant, he will appeal to the Court of Cassation in an attempt to make it obsolete and thus "  pacify the atmosphere  ", he said. Rokia Traoré finally plans to seize the European Court of Human Rights to contest the refusal of her appeal in Belgium in the case which opposes her to her former companion for the custody of her daughter.

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