The facade of the courthouse in Paris. (Drawing) – Clément Follain / 20 Minutes
Six of the seven men tried by the Paris Assize Court for having participated in the robbery of the convoy of a Saudi prince in 2014 were sentenced to terms of three to seven years in prison on Wednesday, the seventh accused being acquitted. The verdict was greeted calmly in the courtroom where some thirty relatives of the defendants, members of the Travelers’ community, were seated.
Four of the five defendants who appeared free were handcuffed by the gendarmes after the verdict was announced before being taken to the depot. Two of the convicts were already in jail before trial in another case. The prosecutor had requested sentences ranging from 5 to 12 years in prison for the seven defendants.
A minivan that was worth gold
The attack for which they were being tried had been spectacular. The main victim was Saudi Prince Abdel Aziz Ben Fahd, one of the sons of former King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. On the evening of August 17, 2014, the prince, vacationing for several days at the George-V hotel in Paris, decides to leave the capital to reach Le Bourget airport.
His sedan leaves the palace, accompanied by a dozen other limousines. At the head of the procession: a Viano minivan carrying the prince’s effects, including several valuable watches, jewelry as well as 250,000 euros and $ 300,000 in cash. When the minivan reached Porte de La Chapelle, two stolen BMWs blocked the vehicle. Armed and hooded men threaten the three occupants and seize the minivan.
Intoruvable Bulgarians
The robbers will release the three occupants of the Viano, safe and sound, shortly after. The minivan and the two BMWs will be found empty and set on fire in Seine-et-Marne. An accused, who admitted having driven one of the cars used in the robbery, but denied having used a weapon, was sentenced to five years in prison. Originally from the community of Travelers of Clichy-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis), he cleared his co-defendants by claiming to have acted “with Bulgarians” whose identity he had not given. All the others had proclaimed their innocence.
Tears rolled down the faces of some relatives of the convicted, who were entitled to a last hug with their loved ones. “It’s shameful, where’s the justice?” “, Told AFP a relative of the man sentenced to 7 years in prison. The condemned have ten days to appeal. They all had a heavy judicial record for petty crimes. Prosecuted for “theft with an organized gang weapon” and “criminal association”, they faced up to 30 years in prison.
Convoy of a Saudi prince held up in Paris: a dozen police custody