The Marseille prosecutor's office requested a trial at the assizes for three alleged members of the Corsican criminal gang of "Petit Bar" at the end of the investigation into the assassination of President of the Bar Antoine Sollacaro on October 16, 2012, in Ajaccio.
The prosecution demands that Jacques Santoni, presumed head of the “Petit Bar”, described as “the sponsor” and the “mastermind” of this assassination, be tried for complicity in murder with premeditation and criminal association in preparation for this crime. .
In its final indictment dated February 15 and consulted by AFP, the prosecution describes “a rivalry (which is not a journalistic or police fiction) between the duo Alain Orsoni-Antoine Nivaggioni - of which Me Sollacaro was the lawyer - and the so-called
Petit Bar team
”.
According to the prosecution, this rivalry was based in particular "on a desire for economic control over Southern Corsica".
The prosecution relied in particular on the statements of Patrick Giovannoni, a "small hand" of this band, which obtained, in 2015, the status of repentant.
Manager of the arms stock of the Petit Bar, he said he had received the confidences of Jacques Santoni, who would have declared after the death of the lawyer: "It is we who typed".
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Another presumed member of the Petit Bar, "hierarchical criminal organization around the head of the clan", André Bacchiolelli should benefit, according to the prosecution, from a dismissal "for the benefit of the doubt" for the assassination of Antoine Sollacaro.
The prosecution claims, however, his appearance before the assizes of Bouches-du-Rhône for "criminal association with a view to preparing this murder, in a state of legal recidivism".
Finally, the prosecution also requires the indictment for criminal association of Mickaël Ettori, "close lieutenant of Jacques Santoni", for his role in the organization of secret telephone networks and the management of weapons and vehicles, including the powerful motorbike from which the shooter shot the Bâtonnier Sollacaro.
Suspected of being involved in another case
The assassination attempt of Charles Cervoni, known to be close to the former nationalist leader Alain Orsoni, on September 1, 2012 in Ajaccio, was attached to this instruction concerning the assassination of the lawyer.
In this section, the prosecution requested the indictment of Jacques Santoni for "complicity in attempted murder and association of criminals" and that of André Bacchiolelli for "attempted assassination and association of criminals".
The repentant assures to have received the confidence of the latter that he was on the motorcycle which served against Charles Cervoni.
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André Bacchiolelli denied having ever confided in Patrick Giovannoni, "a witness out of the hat".
For having delivered a Kalashnikov shortly before these facts, Patrick Giovannoni is also targeted by indictments for criminal association.
Denouncing "an empty file of evidence", Jacques Santoni, quadriplegic since a motorcycle accident in 2003, accused the examining magistrate of having "manipulated an unfortunate man, to make a repentant, a Don Camillo who came to seal the file".
André Bacchiolelli and Mickaël Ettori, on the run since the end of September, have always denied belonging to a criminal gang.
Any final indictments must be decided by the examining magistrate.
