Triple murder in Marseille: witnesses paralysed by fear at Aix trial
At the trial of the triple murder linked to Marseille drug trafficking, several witnesses experienced multiple memory lapses before the Aix-en-Provence assise court.
Trial of triple murder in Marseille: fear silences witnesses
At the Aix-en-Provence assise court, the trial of the triple assassination committed in the context of Marseille drug trafficking is marked by a wave of declared amnesias, according to 20minutes.fr. Witness after witness, testimonies fade away as soon as questions become precise.
Julien A., a man in his thirties with a shaved head, testified freely and without charges — although he had once been placed under investigation in this matter. His storage box had been sublet to the accused and allegedly served, according to the investigation, for the dismemberment of one of the victims, whose burnt body was discovered in a vehicle on 5 January 2021 in Marseille. At the stand, he strung together "I don't know," "I don't remember," "I don't want to answer," while saying: "I'm afraid. I'm afraid of these people, of these things. Who wouldn't be afraid, here?"
He even went so far as to deny knowing Amine Oualane, despite having been convicted with him in a theft case. Pierre-Olivier Sur, one of the lawyers for the Kessaci family, noted that the witness feared "twenty years or forty bullets, like Mr Guilbert" — referring to David Guilbert, murdered in Marseille in the night of 28 to 29 October 2023, and an inconvenient witness in this trial for having admitted witnessing the dismemberment of Nassim Loubani's body in that same storage box.
Earlier on 27 October, Tahira*, widow of Brahim Chabane and half-sister of Amine Kessaci, declared: "I don't know if I can talk about it here, I care about my life." In front of investigators at the time, she had described the activities of her ex-husband as a deal-point manager. Before the court, she reduced them to "small stuff" and minimised his role to that of a "lookout."
The testimony of Rolland M. constituted another revealing moment of the fear that the accused seem to exercise. A fellow prisoner of Amine Oualane in another case, he had explained during the investigation that he had rented Julien A.'s storage box to store his motorcycle. At the hearing, he claimed: "In prison, I took a hit to the head, I don't remember anything." From the defendants' box, Amine Oualane then said to him: "Go on, let loose!" — inviting him to admit that the box was used to store Oualane's motorcycle, who was then on the run after failing to return to his cell after a period of leave.
The following Wednesday, the scene repeated itself with the questioning, by videoconference from Marseille, of Justine*, ex-partner of Malik Kariba. The court president, Roger Arata, assured her on two occasions that she could "speak freely" and that there was "no trick." In vain. Between two stifled sobs, Justine multiplied "I don't remember anymore," "that was a long time ago" and "I was young." Her previous statements nevertheless made reference to blows received from Malik Kariba, who allegedly told her: "The three bastards, my team killed them."
The expected testimony of Amine Oualane's former partner, scheduled by videoconference that same Wednesday, was adjourned after receipt that morning of a work sick note. The court ordered a medical examination and an arrest warrant. This further silence adds to a series of memory lapses that are impeding the manifestation of truth in this case with deep ramifications.
Source: Google News LU FR