At the trial of the Nice attack, the floor for the defense
A general view of the court in Paris during the opening of the Nice attack trial, September 5, 2022. AFP - BENOIT PEYRUCQ
Text by: Laura Martel
2 mins
The court heard this Thursday, December 8, the lawyers of two defendants, Mohamed Ghraieb and Ramzi Arefa.
Fifteen years in prison were required against them, but for different charges.
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From our special correspondent at the Paris courthouse,
Against Mohamed Ghraieb, the prosecution requested the conviction for terrorist criminal association.
But for his lawyer, Vincent Brengarth, "
there is really reason to acquit Mohamed Ghraieb, given the serious shortcomings of the prosecution
"
on the dependents and
"
in his reasoning
".
We blame his client for having participated in the search for weapons?
There is no evidence that
Mohamed Ghraieb
offered his weapon to the killer.
And even then, we are talking about "
an over-the-counter alarm gun
", takes offense at the lawyer.
He is also accused of having taken part in the rental of the truck?
He “
did not take any steps
”, but he is accused
of “having participated by receiving a message
” of three letters to which he does not respond.
“
It's a new reasoning!
“, launches the advice.
As for the fact that Mohamed Ghraieb traveled with the future terrorist aboard the fatal truck, others did so who were not prosecuted, he points out.
“
The doubt must benefit the accused
”
To support the terrorist qualification in its indictment, the prosecution had assured that because of his proximity to Mohamed Laouhaiej-Bouhlel, Mohamed Ghraieb "
could not ignore his ability to take action in connection with his radical ideology
".
However, the "
anti-terrorist investigators themselves
" spoke of "
weak signals of radicalization, readable only a posteriori
".
“
How could Mohamed Ghraieb have perceived them?
“, raises his counsel, who insists on the fact that his client had presented himself spontaneously to the police, and recalls “
the doubt must benefit the accused
”.
On the side of the defense of Ramzi Arefa, for whom the prosecution has requested the abandonment of the terrorist qualification, the "weakness" of the file is just as much criticized.
Ramzi Arefa "
acknowledges
" having bought a pistol
(the one that was used during the attack) from one of his co-defendants, before reselling it to Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel and, for this, admits his guilt for several offenses against gun laws.
But these are “
two separate transactions
”, and at no time does he participate in a “
group
” which would validate the association of criminals, even less terrorist, protests Me Adélaïde Jacquin.
The two lawyers make the same observation: “
many questions will remain unanswered
”, in particular because of the “
murky personality of the killer
”.
Some investigators have also themselves hypothesized that the most incriminating elements for the three main defendants "
were left deliberately to implicate them
", they recall, before arriving at the same conclusion: their clients do not must not be "
heavily condemned to appease hearts, in defiance of the rules of law
", according to Me Jacquin's formula.
► To read also:
Nice attack: 15 years in prison required against the three main defendants
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France
Justice
Terrorism
Nice attack