the 25 Indian nationals who remained in France were released by the courts

It’s a journey full of twists and turns for some of the Indian passengers who asked to stay in France. Their plane was grounded between Thursday December 21 and Monday December 25 at Vatry airport in Marne following an anonymous report on suspicion of human trafficking. After four days of forced stopover, 25 of the 303 passengers requested asylum in France. These people were released on Tuesday December 26. The reason ? A procedure not respected.

It was the judge of freedoms and detention who decided to release these Indian nationals seeking asylum. They had been transferred to a waiting area at Roissy airport, after spending almost four days at Vatry airport, in Marne. The magistrate considered that “the director of the border police at Roissy airport did not contact them within the time limits set by law to request an extension of their detention for eight days” more in this area, explained the Bobigny prosecutor’s office. This deadline had been exceeded by 5 hours.

“They are free to do what they do”

The administrative authority appealed. The 20 files are currently being examined by the Paris Court of Appeal. But, even if the court ultimately decided to place these Indians in a waiting zone, the police would have to start by finding them. Because since Tuesday, these 20 people “are free of their actions even if they are in an irregular situation on French territory”, specified the Bobigny public prosecutor’s office. Among these 25 passengers, five minors were entrusted to child welfare and placed in homes.

Two of the 303 passengers were taken into police custody, suspected of having played a role in this alleged migrant smuggling. They too were finally released on Monday, the judge considering that the evidence implicating them was insufficient.