The appeal trial of Bernard Tapie and his five co-defendants in the controversial 2008 arbitration case was suspended Tuesday, October 20 until Monday, pending an expert report on the state of health of the businessman, who requests a postponement of the hearing.
To read also: At the opening of his trial, Bernard Tapie appears "very weak"
The defense of the boss of the media group
La Provence
, who suffers at the age of 77 from double cancer of the stomach and esophagus and whose disease has recently "
very seriously progressed
", requested the referral of the appeal. .
After an hour of deliberation, the Paris Court of Appeal ordered a medical expertise for Mr. Tapie in order to "
know what to expect in the future and how to organize the rest
", explained President Sophie Clément.
Depending on the results of this expertise, the court will rule at the resumption of the debates, Monday at 1:30 pm, "
on a possible referral of the case
», Added the magistrate.
The public prosecutor's office requested this medical expertise to determine whether Bernard Tapie's state of health can improve.
In this case, the public prosecutor indicated that he would request a disjunction, with “
a referral to the month of May
” concerning the businessman.
“
Making this request is a real heartbreak because this case is the fight of the life of Mr. Tapie,
” pleaded one of his lawyers, Hervé Temime.
“
And today, you know, it's a fight exclusively for honor.
Mr. Tapie had and still has as his main reason for living, apart from the love of his family, the wish to defend himself and to be exonerated in this affair of swindling
”, underlined Me Temime.
The former boss of Olympique de Marseille appeared very weakened at the opening of his appeal on October 12, fifteen months after his resounding acquittal in this case.
He was absent Wednesday for medical reasons, and had left the room Monday after an hour and a half of hearing, obviously very tired.
Read also: Arbitration case: Bernard Tapie absent from the hearing on Wednesday
"
I am authorized by Mr. Tapie to tell you that he learned on the Thursday afternoon preceding this hearing that his disease had unfortunately progressed, very seriously progressed
", explained Mr. Temime, adding that the state of health of his client had been found incompatible with an appearance.
"
This (Tuesday) morning, Mr. Tapie was at the Gustave-Roussy Institute (specialized in the fight against cancer, Editor's note)
" and he had to try a new "
quasi-experimental
"
treatment
, Hervé Temime said.
Bernard Tapie's lawyer therefore requested "
with the greatest insistence
" the postponement of the trial, in order to "
respect his right
" to be tried in his presence, assuring that he would not represent him if the court decided otherwise. .
Other defense lawyers joined in this request.
The arbitration which had granted in 2008 to Bernard Tapie 403 million euros to settle his old dispute with the Credit Lyonnais was definitively canceled in the civil for “
fraud
”.