A judicial center dedicated to unsolved cases has opened in Nanterre since the beginning of March. But families of victims and lawyers complain of delays and blockages in the judicial institution with a risk of transforming this new pole “into an empty shell”.
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Four associations of families of victims in unsolved cases deplored Tuesday, May 31 at a press conference the slowness of the pole dedicated to “cold cases” and serial crimes. This judicial center, based in Nanterre, has been operating since March 1, 2022. But three months later, only an investigating judge is in office and only a handful of cases are being processed.
“We can no longer afford the risk of wasting time. What are we waiting for? That we ourselves die? No, we have the creation of a ‘cold cases’ pole. get started once and for all”, claims Férouze Bendouiou. Her little sister Charazed disappeared in 1987. Her family has never been able to find out what happened to her.
Like dozens of other families, Férouze Bendouiou is still waiting to find out if his sister’s case will be taken over by the “cold cases” division. A hundred cases are under study but the investigations are really relaunched in seven cases only, for the moment. “The files do not arrive as quickly as the families hope. There are too many blockages in the courts, too much resistance and administrative paths”, regrets Maître Didier Seban, lawyer specializing in unsolved cases. He represents several families of victims. “We can’t wait”he insists.
According to Mr. Seban, solutions must be found so that there are no more blockages. Without this, he believes that this new pole will transform “in empty shell”. The lawyer, with the representatives of family associations, will request an appointment as soon as possible with the Keeper of the Seals Eric Dupond-Moretti.