were data deliberately erased to confuse the investigation into the death of the Corsican activist in prison?

The Corsican activist, sentenced to life in 1998 for the assassination of the prefect Erignac, died a year ago to the day after his attack by Franck Elong Abé, a fellow prisoner in Arles. The parliamentary commission of inquiry responsible for shedding light on the conditions of this attack suspects that certain data has been erased within the prison administration.

>> Assassination of Yvan Colonna: lack of vigilance, flaws in video surveillance… What to remember from the report of the general inspection of justice on the prison of Arles

At the heart of these suspicions alerts made the day before the facts, and which have mysteriously disappeared. A few hours before the attack on Yvan Colonna, a guard at Arles prison alerted her management to the behavior of Franck Elong Abé, a jihad veteran. Jean-Felix Acquaviva is the president of the parliamentary commission of inquiry. According to him, two major observations are made that day: “One that reports a conversation between three detainees, including Franck Elong Abé, where she hears without knowing which one is saying these words: ‘I’m going to kill him.’ The second element is always the same day, a ‘change of attitude and behavior’ of Franck Elong Abé that he was emptying his cell.

“It’s all very disturbing”

This supervisor notes these observations on the same day in a software dedicated to particularly reported prisoners. Except that these alerts, nobody will mention them before the parliamentary commission of inquiry. They do not appear in this famous software either. According to Jean-Felix Acquaviva, it is even several weeks of observations that seem to have disappeared from the files: “As of January 29, 2022 until the occurrence, there was no record of any sightings. This is all very disturbing.”

“All of this can only fuel the fact that we’re trying to hide something. If there’s been a data wipe through ‘the why?’, that opens a lot of doors.”

Jean-Felix Acquaviva, MP for the 2nd constituency of Haute-Corse

at franceinfo

So were these data erased to cover up a breach by the prison administration? This is also the hypothesis made by Sylvain Cormier. He is one of Yvan Colonna’s family lawyers. “The hypothesis that someone went there to erase the data is clearly plausible. It could be a panic after the fact, it could be much more serious. I think the parliamentary inquiry committee raised a hare on the hypothesis that Franck Elong Abé could be a source of prison intelligence. This is frankly a very serious lead.”

A track that would explain the preferential treatment granted, according to Me Cormier, to Franck Elong Abé in prison. The fact, for example, that he was able to work despite his dangerousness. Except that the answer to this question is covered by the defense secret. A secret that must imperatively be lifted, says the lawyer. He plans to take legal action, the parliamentary commission of inquiry does not exclude possible legal consequences either.