Ssassinat de Montigny: the court decides the ongoing trials

The assize court in Aix-en-Provence decided Monday the continuation of the trial of six people accused of having participated in the murder of young nationalist Nicolas Montigny in 2001, while the defense had requested the referral, because of pressure on jurors.

At the end of about an hour of deliberation, the president of the court, Patrick Vogt, ordered "the continuation of discussions", challenging the defence of which all representatives had pleaded, in the morning, dismissal. The General Counsel Patrice Ollivier-Maurel had strongly opposed this request for referral: "This reference, he said, would be totally unnecessary, jurors for a retrial would in any way aware that there has been pressure on their predecessors, I remain confident in the jurors that you and I do not accept that the trial be postponed again, which is why I ask you, Mr. President, to continue discussions ". Three people were taken into custody Sunday in the late afternoon because they are suspected of having sought to exert pressure on jurors. The president of the Assize Court has joined the argument of the prosecution, arguing that "any future jury" would necessarily be informed of this incident. He also felt that the strike by the bar one time claimed by the defence would constitute "an obstacle to a trial within a reasonable time". Alluding to the previous dismissal of this case, in May 2007-the defence having demanded and obtained additional information-, one of the lawyers for the family of Nicolas Montigny, Jean-Michel Mariaggi, said: " ' history does not repeat itself, it stammering. " "I think we take the side pretext of defending all situations," he lamented.