Aug. 27 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Court of Cassation of Madagascar has ratified the sentences of ten and 20 years in prison for the French Philippe François and Paul Rafanoharana for their involvement in the coup denounced by the Malagasy authorities against the Government of the African country and for attempted assassination against the president, Andry Rajoelina.
Rafanoharana, former French-Malagasy adviser to the Head of State, and François, former French Army colonel turned businessman, were arrested in July 2021 and found guilty, after eight days of trial in December, of having directed the so-called ‘Apollo 21’ operation. against the president.
Rafanoharana, considered the intellectual author of the plot, admitted during the trial the existence of a letter in which he demanded a large sum of money to “guarantee the overthrow of the current regime.” However, the lawyers of both denounce that the entire process has been plagued by irregularities, in particular government interference in the court’s action and constant leaks to the media, as well as difficulties in contacting their clients.
“Our arguments about the serious violations of fundamental rights that have been committed have not been taken into account. We cannot say what steps we are going to take,” Arlette Rafanomadio, a member of Paul’s legal team, told L’Express de Madagascar. Rafanoharana. “First we are waiting to see what the reasons for rejection by the Court of Cassation are,” she added.
The two French can also request a sentence transfer in France, explains Raymond Chan-Fah, François’s lawyer, to Radio France Internationale (RFI). “We will try to have the sentence in our hands and from there, see how we can act. Perhaps we will also bring up the 1973 cooperation agreement that possibly provides for the extradition of French citizens to their country of origin,” he said.
At the moment, the two men are serving sentences, which also include an additional punishment of forced labor, outside the Malagasy capital, in the Tsiafahy high-security prison. Rafanoharan’s wife, Voahangy Andrianandrianina, was sentenced to five years in prison, as was François’s former business partner, Aina Razafindrakoto. Former Prime Minister Victor Ramahatra received a five-year suspended sentence
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