They must have been twelve…
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There were to be twelve defendants but one of them, owner of a home where drugs were stolen, died in 2019. The court therefore finds the extinction of the public action against him. His relatives cited as witnesses will testify later on elements of context.
A late acknowledgment due to test-covid
Another protagonist is missing even before the constitution of the jury which, given the duration of the debates and the health context, will be reinforced by six additional jurors. His lawyer is disappointed, the president upset, especially since the absentee has a marginal role in the story, the Advocate General speculates. A suspension of hearing is decided.
In a hurry with messages, the man shows up a few minutes later. He did it as quickly as possible, on a scooter. He was coming out of the pharmacy. His companion has the Covid, he is a contact case. A little later in the afternoon, President Hubert Hansenne will lecture him and make him solely responsible for the delay in his hearing plan.
The president insists on the punctuality that befits a court. “It’s not the fair here,” he growls at the address of some who come and go taking long breaks. “Otherwise, nature abhors a vacuum,” he says with a meaningful gaze towards the deserted box.
To take notes
The psychologist expert is right on time as written on his summons. But he was actually two hours early given the progress of the proceedings. And at 5 p.m., the jurors and the assessors still do not know what is going on.
The president invites them to take notes. The case is complex. Many facts are entangled, there is a case in the case. In his presentation, which does not follow the thread of the indictment order, he opts for a factual and technical account of a series of events which he mistakenly dates from May 23, 2016, without dwelling on the many dramatic plot twists that will be addressed in the days to come.
“It’s not the fair here”, scolds the president at the address of some who come and go while taking extended breaks
A first case examined
This is the case of Cédric Pinet, 44, who is mentioned first. Defended by M.e Guillaume Larre, he is accused of extortion with a weapon, kidnapping, kidnapping and murder. It is “not a great casualty of life”, sums up the expert psychologist. Smooth family history, professional integration, involved father. “He is a good living. The expression hits the bench of the civil parties who mourn the death of Kamel Djanti.
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