The two Frenchmen arrested in Madagascar last week, as part of a foiled assassination plan for President Andry Rajoelina, were still in custody on Monday July 26, as were their wives, AFP learned from a diplomatic source.
Read also: An assassination attempt of the president foiled in Madagascar, two French people arrested
A consular visit was able to take place on Monday, at the request of the families of the two former French officers, Philippe F. and Paul R., this source confirmed to AFP, specifying that in view of the seriousness of the alleged facts, their custody could extend over a period of fifteen days, possibly renewable.
"Above all suspicion"
The lawyer of Philippe F, former colonel of the French army, also told AFP that his client was "
above all suspicion
": He serves as "
to argue for the Malagasy government, for which he It is interesting to involve a French person in the context of a catastrophic economic and health situation, thus diverting the attention of the people
”, affirmed Me Étienne de Villepin.
"
My client has never had any political inclinations in Madagascar,
" he insisted, specifying that this retiree from the French army installed in the island since early 2020 was planning to return to France, "
a planned move from long, as various documents attest, well before his arrest in the international area of the airport
”of Antananarivo. He also specified that a container belonging to Philippe F., as well as a GoPro camera and a cell phone had been seized "
without revealing any element so far
". Malagasy justice has not confirmed any of these elements, as the investigation is ongoing.
Read also: Madagascar, the first country to suffer famine because of global warming, according to the UN
Tuesday, July 20, six people, including these two French, were arrested as part of an "
investigation for endangering state security
" for having "
scaffolded a plan for the elimination and neutralization of various Malagasy personalities including the Head of State,
”announced the Attorney General.
The government then specified that weapons had been seized, as well as money, during the arrests, as well as documents "
which prove their involvement
", and that the police had been investigating this affair "
for several months
".
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/KMEYMJKESBAZBE4MRBAM4TGHIQ.jpg)
