Complaint by Michel Gbagbo in Paris: Guillaume Soro refuses to appear and counterattacks
Michel Gbagbo, son of the former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo.
DR
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Guillaume Soro once again refused to appear before French justice for this case in which Michel Gbagbo, son of the former Ivorian president, accuses him of "kidnapping" in 2011 in Côte d'Ivoire.
His lawyers justify.
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Nine years ago, Michel Gbagbo, the son of the former Ivorian president, lodged a complaint in France, in particular against the former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro for "kidnapping, kidnapping, inhuman and degrading treatment" for his arrest in 2011 in the Côte ivory.
New rebound in this case yesterday, after several attempts to hear it which had not been crowned with success during all these years, the investigating judge in charge of the case, Sabine Khéris, had again summoned Guillaume yesterday afternoon. Soro, who once again refused to appear before French justice.
Without confirming or denying his presence on French soil at this time, his lawyers released a press release shortly afterwards explaining this refusal.
Functional immunity, sovereignty of the Ivorian state ... Her defense denounces an act that she describes as "
illegal
" and which, according to her, disregards "
customary international law
".
"
The rule, it is the international custom that applies, is that the Prime Minister enjoys immunity from jurisdiction: he cannot be tried in France for acts committed in his capacity as Prime Minister in the Coast. d'Ivoire during his functions and within the framework of these same functions
”, explains Me Robin Binsard, one of his lawyers.
He then denounced "
a real judicial harassment
" against his client: "
This is the fourth summons in eight years which is addressed to Mr. Guillaume Soro while the position of the prosecutor is very clear: this procedure is illegal, immunity is opposed to Guillaume Soro being summoned and yet the examining magistrate, against the opinion of the prosecutor, against the opinion of the court of cassation, persists in summoning Mr. Guillaume Soro.
That is enough.
"
The defense of Guillaume Soro has therefore decided to counter-attack by filing "
a motion for nullity
" to obtain the stop of all this procedure explains Me Binsard, which violates according to him "
the applicable rules
" in the matter.
Reaction last night from one of Michel Gbagbo's lawyers, Me Habiba Touré: "they are
free to communicate as they wish
", but "
on our side, we intend to go to the end
", she continued, by ensuring "
the arguments evoked are irrelevant as far as we are concerned
".
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Ivory Coast
Guillaume Soro
France