Mohamed Bakkali, convicted for the 13 November attacks, moving towards conditional release in Belgium
The logistics operative behind the Paris and Thalys attacks has been granted six prison leaves in Belgium. An examination of his conditional release application is scheduled for September.
Bakkali benefits from Belgian prison leaves, conditional release to be examined in September
Mohamed Bakkali, convicted in France for his role in the 13 November 2015 attacks in Paris and in the failed attack on the Thalys on 21 August 2015, has been granted six prison leaves in Belgium, France Info learned on Friday 22 May from a source close to the case, confirming information from Belgian media Sudinfo. A hearing before Belgian justice is scheduled for September to examine his application for conditional release.
Under Belgian law, a prison leave authorises a prisoner to leave prison for a period of 36 hours, with the aim of preparing for the installation of an electronic monitoring bracelet or a conditional release. These outings are part of a standard procedure: they generally pave the way for electronic monitoring, then for conditional release.
Thirty years' imprisonment reduced to the legal maximum
Of Belgian nationality, Bakkali had been sentenced by the Paris assize court to 30 years' imprisonment, accompanied by a two-thirds security period, for his participation in the 13 November attacks. A sentence of 25 years was subsequently imposed for the failed Thalys Amsterdam-Paris attack. In September 2022, the courts merged these two convictions to reduce them to the legal maximum of 30 years' imprisonment.
Transferred to Belgium to also be tried there, Bakkali is now subject to Belgian legislation on the execution of sentences. This legislation provides for the possibility of conditional release from one-third of the sentence imposed. The security period imposed by the French court is no longer applicable on Belgian soil.
Ten years of actual imprisonment reached
Arrested and placed in detention at the end of 2015, Bakkali had reached ten years of actual imprisonment at the time of his application for prison leaves, the threshold required by Belgian law. The leaves granted were validated by the Brussels sentence enforcement court. Their objective is to allow the prisoner to reconnect with life in society and to undertake rehabilitation measures likely to pave the way for further sentence adjustments.
National Counter-Terrorism Prosecutor "takes note" and points to a discrepancy
Approached by France Info, the National Counter-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) declares it "takes note" of the decisions taken by the Brussels sentence enforcement court, described as "independent and sovereign". However, it notes that "the legislation applicable to this individual does not lead to the execution of his convictions as pronounced by the specially composed assize court in Paris." The PNAT also states that it "shares the concern that these decisions arouse, particularly among the victims".
The counter-terrorism prosecutor's office wishes to clarify that "this very specific situation in no way undermines the quality of counter-terrorism judicial cooperation with Belgium". It moreover emphasises the robustness of the French system, "rendered all the more coherent by its centralisation resulting from PNAT's competence and the specialist sentence enforcement judges of the Paris court". In France, the PNAT asserts, "such a discrepancy between a conviction pronounced and its implementation" would not be possible.
Source: France Info