On the one hand, "Monsieur Mariani", son of one of the founders of the Sea Breeze. At 54, he spent more than half his life in prison. Sentenced in particular to 15 years in prison for murder, he is suspected of being involved in many cases and is often described as one of the sponsors of the Isle of Beauty. On the other, Redoine Faïd, 48, media robber of armored van and multi-recidivist of escapes. Two worlds, island banditry and that of the Parisian suburbs, which, according to justice, are much closer than one could imagine.
Figure of the great Corsican banditry, Jacques Mariani, was indicted Monday evening for "association of criminals for the commission of crimes punishable by 10 years imprisonment and an offense punished by at least five years imprisonment", have we learned from a judicial source. Justice suspects the one who is often presented as a Corsican godfather "of acquisition or possession of weapons" and "of escape in organized gang". Facts which would have taken place during 2017 and which are linked to the escape plans of Redoine Faïd.
An armed commando placed in a helicopter
On July 1, 2018, the robber from Creil (Oise) escaped from Réau prison (Seine-et-Marne) with the help of an armed commando placed by helicopter in the main courtyard of the penitentiary center. Two men equipped with Kalashnikovs immobilize the guards and attack them with a thermal grinder at a door reserved for the supervisors which gives access to the visiting rooms. Faïd, incarcerated for a failed robbery in Val-de-Marne which cost the life of municipal policewoman Aurélie Fouquet in 2010, rushes into the helicopter, which will be found burnt down a few hours later in Gonesse (Val-d 'Oise). In October 2018, the man and several members of his family were arrested in Creil by BIS police.
In November 2019, the investigation into the escape took an unexpected turn. According to information revealed by the Obs, a small thug involved in the escape of Faïd is heard by the judges in charge of the investigations. He claims that a man with a Corsican accent was present in a forest in the Oise when, in 2018, a first project was designed to make Redoine Faïd escape. According to the young man, a "Corsica" was still present on board the helicopter which allowed Faïd to make herself beautiful. The only one to have escaped the October 2018 catch of the net would be a Corsican? If it cannot be Jacques Mariani, who was in prison at the time of the escape, justice wonders if the presumed heir of the Sea Breeze clan had a role in the presence of this man in the commando. The young man subsequently retracted, claiming to have confused the voice of the other member of the commando with that of the helicopter pilot.
"The defense is very serene"
The suspicions evoking an agreement between Jacques Mariani and the Faïd clan are however accentuated by a disturbing encounter. Investigators uncovered contacts in 2017 between Corsica, then at large, and Rachid Faïd, Redoine's big brother, also suspected of having participated in the escape. Another testimony, that of a Corsican repentant who was close to Mariani, nevertheless gives credence to the idea. This man assured the justice that Mariani had to escape Faïd. In exchange, the robber had to help Corsica take revenge on his enemies. Contacts that Jacques Mariani did not deny during his police custody, ensures a source close to the file. However, he categorically denied having planned any escape plan on this occasion. It is above all his exchanges, more than a possible direct implication in the helicopter escape from Faïd, which are worth an indictment to Jacques Mariani.
Last Tuesday, the son of the late Francis Mariani, historic creator of the Sea Breeze, had been extracted from his cell in the Baumettes prison, where he is currently in pre-trial detention in the context of a double assassination case, in order to be heard by the investigators of the PJ of Versailles. He was transferred to Paris on Monday under very high security. " The story repeats itself. Another specious indictment, decided in principle more than for reason, reacts Me Yassine Maharsi, the lawyer of Jacques Mariani. The defense is very serene. We will not let the court of great rumor dig the judicial grave of Jacques Mariani. "It is very astonishing," confides also Me Yasmina Belmokhtar, the lawyer of the Creole robber. Redoine Faïd has never been asked about possible relationships with Jacques Mariani in recent months… ”
