Some 25 people are called to testify, over more than a month of debates. The trial of Thomas Debatisse began this Thursday in Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles, where this street artist from Nice is on trial for the death of his partner, Emmanuelle Badibanga, found dead in the hotel room they occupied in the archipelago. .
Known by the nickname Otom, the 35-year-old Azurean faces life imprisonment. He claims his innocence. “Given the evidence that is presented in this case, there is no doubt that my client is innocent,” said Bazil Hoareau, his Seychellois lawyer.
Seychellois and French investigations clash
The 32-year-old young woman, manager of a place dedicated to events in Nice, was discovered hanging from the towel hook in the bathroom of one of the rooms at Club Med, on the island of Sainte-Anne, April 27. In the Seychelles, the autopsy concluded to a strangulation and Thomas Debatisse was imprisoned, the judicial authorities considering him as “strongly suspect”. In France, a parallel investigation opened in Nice has, on the contrary, favored the hypothesis of hanging, and therefore of suicide.
Thursday’s hearing, which started late around 2 p.m. local time due to confusion over anti-Covid protocols, was devoted to presenting the facts to the nine-member jury. Thomas Debatisse, dressed in black, appeared emaciated but smiling before entering the courtroom of the Supreme Court of Seychelles, the equivalent of the assize court in France. He listened to the facts alleged against him “while shrugging his shoulders”, according to the local news site Seychelles news agency.
“Let justice set things straight”
Emmanuelle Badibanga’s family was not represented, the Seychellois judicial system not providing for a civil party. His uncle by marriage, Michael Gronier, was the only member of his family there. He denied the articles qualifying the young woman as “depressive” and believes that the town hall of Nice has a “bias” in this affair.
“My niece was not at all depressed, this is what a police report which was carried out in France concluded, he declared. We expect justice to clear things up about her state of health, because she was a fighter. »
Also present in court, the French ambassador to the Seychelles, Donimique Mas, said he had “confidence” in the local justice system. “I am following this case closely because it concerns two French people, and also for the memory of Emmanuelle’s family and so that Debatisse can speak about what happened”, he also indicated.