Thomas Debatisse, alias Otom, his artist name, was living a dream in the paradisiacal landscapes of the Seychelles.
This 34-year-old graffiti artist from Nice was to participate in the opening of Club Med on Île Sainte-Anne in this archipelago located in the heart of the Indian Ocean where he had come with his partner, Emmanuelle Badibanga, 32, co-manager in a reception room in Nice.
But on April 27, 2021, the postcard suddenly darkens. According to his version of the facts, Thomas spends part of his day bringing forward the fresco he must paint for the inauguration of the place. In the early evening, after saying goodbye to a friend on the pier, he returns to his room where he intends to surprise Emmanuelle, who has remained there to rest. Arrived in front of the large bay windows of his bungalow, through the curtains, he does not see her smile but glimpses her body hanging from the hooks in the bathroom. Thomas' world has just collapsed.
A nearby fitness instructor arrives at the scene. He has a first aid certificate and tries to resuscitate Emmanuelle. The Club nurse also arrives very quickly, they take turns in their attempts, to no avail. It was Thomas who informed the reception and he is at that moment collapsed, crying, curled up on himself, in a state of absolute panic. "He understands that he has just lost the woman he loves", according to his lawyer, the specialist in international law Richard Sédillot. The Seychelles authorities are quickly informed, a local doctor comes to note the death of the young Varoise, originally from Saint-Maxime. In the hours which follow, Thomas, collapsed, will announce the tragedy to the family and to the close relations of Emmanuelle, which he attended for more than a year.The young man is described by his relatives as "very enamored of Emmanuelle, an elegant and distinguished young woman".
Two very different autopsy reports
An investigation was then opened by the local police who asked Thomas Debatisse to stay put.
In the autopsy report, nearly fifteen days after Emmanuelle's death, a hypothesis is put forward by the coroner: the death of the young woman would not be due to a hanging but to a strangulation and violence, which would leave think of a murder disguised as suicide.
In the wake of this expertise, Thomas Debatisse, who claims his innocence and denies the alleged facts, is "formally charged" for the murder of his partner, a crime punishable by life imprisonment according to the Seychelles Penal Code. He was first imprisoned in a police station, until his transfer eight days ago to a pre-trial detention center on the main island of the archipelago, pending the end of the investigation and a referral to court.
However, as early as last May, a parallel investigation was opened in France by the Nice prosecutor's office. After the repatriation of Emmanuelle's body in June, a new autopsy and analyzes were ordered and analyzes were carried out by the French authorities. “The autopsy in France is completely different from that of the Seychelles, it does not reveal signs of blow and therefore excludes violence. All French analyzes converge on a death by hanging. The experts conclude in circumstances opposite to those retained by the local doctor ”, confides Me Sédillot.
Findings confirmed by the Nice prosecutor's office: "The elements of the autopsy do not corroborate the conclusions of the Seychelles", explains the prosecutor, Xavier Bonhomme.
"These elements have been communicated to the Seychelles authorities", adds the magistrate who oversees the investigation in France.
A timetable "incompatible" with the murder hypothesis
In the Seychelles, the proceedings being of the accusatory type, the defense of Thomas Debatisse therefore sought exculpatory evidence.
Various factual elements and multiple testimonies assembled by his lawyer would demonstrate the innocence of his client: "I was able to reconstitute with precision his schedule, it is incompatible with his presence in the room at the time of death", assures the council by graffiti artist Otom.
The case is diplomatic from a sensitive point of view, since the judicial systems of two countries are seized of the investigation and arrive at opposite conclusions. “My client's family and relatives are hopeful that there will be a release order based on all the factual, scientific and temporal evidence that militates for his innocence. We are convinced that the Seychelles justice system will take note with the greatest interest of the elements which have been transmitted to it, ”continues Thomas Debatisse's advice.
On the side of Emmanuelle Badibanga's family, we especially want the investigation to lead to the truth about the circumstances of her death.
“For loved ones, it is painful and difficult mourning.
They also want us to be able to guarantee the effectiveness of the investigations, without seeking sensationalism, but without any hypothesis being ruled out, ”confides their lawyer, Tewfik Bouzenoune.
