Incriminated by the famous inscription “Omar killed me”, the former gardener had benefited from a partial pardon in 1996.
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Twenty-seven years after Omar Raddad’s conviction for the murder of a wealthy widow, Ghislaine Marchal, the courts decided to reopen the case on Thursday, December 16, a first step towards a possible review of the trial, franceinfo learned from Sylvie Noachovitch, his lawyer. Incriminated by the famous inscription “Omar killed me”, the former gardener, who had benefited from a partial pardon in 1996, has always claimed his innocence and wishes to have his 1994 conviction overturned.
Seized by Omar Raddad of a request for review, the investigating committee ordered additional information, a judicial source told AFP. “This decision is a step towards the revisionOmar Raddad’s lawyer told reporters. The battle is not over. “
His new request, in one of the most enigmatic and controversial criminal cases in France, is based on advances in DNA science and on a law passed in June 2014 which relaxes the criteria for obtaining the review of a trial.
Sentenced in 1994 to 18 years imprisonment, without the possibility of appealing at the time, Omar Raddad received a partial pardon from President Jacques Chirac, then a conditional release in 1998. But this pardon does not constitute cancellation of condemnation and do not make him innocent.