Yemenia Airways crash: end of trial after four weeks of debate
The plaintiffs arrive at the Palais de justice de Paris in Paris, on May 9, 2022, for the opening hearing in the case of the crash of a Yemenia Airways flight in 2009. AFP - THOMAS SAMSON
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The trial for manslaughter and involuntary injury of the Yemenia company ended on Thursday, June 2.
On June 29, 2009, a Yemenia Airways flight crashed off the Comoros, killing 152 people, only one of whom survived.
This last day of hearing was punctuated by the statement of the indictment and the defense argument.
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At the end of this trial, the relatives of the victims were numerous on the benches of the courtroom alongside
the sole survivor Bahia Bakari
to find out the origin of this tragedy.
“
For us, this trial was a very important element,
explains Said Assoumani, president of the association of families of victims.
Because we lived four weeks which demonstrated that this accident – this is the final conclusion – should not have taken place normally, because this flight should not have existed, logically, if all the provisions had been taken by this company.
»
Failures, negligence, for the representative of the public prosecutor, the company is guilty, as explained by Claude Liénard the lawyer for the civil parties: "
The public prosecutor ruled out everything that was not possible and demonstrated the causes very clear responsibility of Yemenia, which did not know how to prepare its pilots, did not know how to anticipate - whereas it was its duty under the culture of risk - the difficulties which it knew and which it had to bypass.
»
The court has reserved judgment for September 14.
A maximum fine was requested by the public prosecutor, i.e. 232,500 euros.
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To read also: Yemenia Airways crash: relatives of the victims await answers from justice
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