This time, it is in the accused box and not free that Mohamed Ghraieb, one of the two main accused, with Chokri Chafroud, will appear in the trial of the attack of July 14, 2016 in Nice. At first instance, both were sentenced to 18 years in prison, three years more than the requisitions of the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office.
After three months of hearing, the Paris Special Assize Court had in fact highlighted “gray areas” but had the “intimate conviction” that they had inspired but also supported “morally and materially” Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel , the author of the terrorist attack which left 86 dead and more than 450 injured that evening on the Promenade des Anglais. Their decision to appeal was almost immediate. The trial opens this Monday for almost two months, in the “grand trials” room of the historic Paris courthouse.
“There is no middle ground”
“My client has always contested any responsibility, there was no question for him not to appeal, even though there is a risk of an aggravation of the sentence,” declared to 20 minutes Mohamed Ghraieb’s lawyer, Me Vincent Brengarth, his client facing up to 20 years of criminal imprisonment. The defense of Chokri Chafroud announces itself in unison.
“No one understands the trigger for Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel’s action, and Mohamed Ghraieb is not there to plug the holes,” says Me Vincent Brengarth. Although he has “strong material elements to plead”, he is nevertheless preparing for “a difficult trial, where prejudices are very strong”. “For us, the issue remains acquittal,” he continues, believing that “there is no middle ground.”
On this last point, Célia Viale, co-president of the association of victims of the attack “Promenade des Anges”, also notes a “very strange file”. “We are on the verge of complicity but also on the verge of relaxation, with elements which are based a lot on telephone exchanges and messages,” she laments. In this attack, his mother was killed and his father injured. The young woman, who does not believe in the “lone wolf”, refuses to imagine a possible release. “We hope that the sentences will at least be reinforced,” she confides.
” Loss of trustworthy “
The victims’ association, which obtained that the civil parties could this time testify by video from the specially designed room in Nice, also poses other challenges to this appeal trial. “We want to take advantage of this audience to also say what we have experienced over all these years, to alert as victims of terrorism to the loss of confidence we have in institutions. »
The subjects raised are numerous: abusive organ harvesting, securing the Promenade des Anglais on the evening of the attack, which is the subject of a separate investigation, but also compensation for victims and the organization even the trial. One example among others: “Parking is only reimbursed for 72 hours over the two months of the trial! »
Nearly 230 civil parties are expected to testify, more or less the same number as during the first trial. Children could also testify for the first time, if the president of the court, Christophe Petiteau, grants this request. On the other hand, political leaders, including Christian Estrosi, should not be called as witnesses during this appeal hearing.