Guillaume Soro has once again refused to appear before the French justice system for this case in which Michel Gbagbo, son of the former Ivorian president, accuses him of “sequestration” in 2011 in Côte d’Ivoire. His lawyers justify.
Nine years ago, Michel Gbagbo, the son of the former Ivorian president had filed a complaint in France, including against former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro for “kidnapping, confinement, inhuman and degrading treatment” for his arrest in 2011 in Côte d’Ivoire.
A new twist in this case yesterday, after several attempts to hear him that had not been successful during all these years, the investigating judge in charge of the case, Sabine Khéris, had again summoned yesterday afternoon Guillaume Soro, who once again refused to appear before the French justice. Without confirming or denying his presence on French soil at the moment, his lawyers issued a statement shortly afterwards explaining this refusal.
Immunity from prosecution, sovereignty of the Ivorian state… His defense denounces an act that it describes as “illegal” and which, according to him, disregards “customary international law”.
“The rule, it is the international custom which applies, it is that the Prime Minister profits from an immunity of jurisdiction: he cannot be judged in France for acts committed in his capacity of Prime Minister in Côte d’Ivoire at the time of his functions and within the framework of these same functions”, explains Me Robin Binsard, one of his lawyers.
Guillaume Soro’s defense has therefore decided to counter-attack by filing “a request for nullity” to obtain a halt to the entire procedure, explains Mr. Binsard, which, according to him, violates “the applicable rules” in this area.