AA/Dakar/Alioune Ndiaye
The General Prosecutor’s Office of the Dakar Criminal Court on Wednesday requested a five-year prison sentence against Barthélémy Dias in the context of the appeal trial relating to a murder case dating from 2011 and for which the current mayor of Dakar had been convicted. in the first place.
Dias had responded by using a firearm following an attack which had targeted the town hall of Mermoz Sacré Coeur in December 2011, which he headed at the time. One of their criminals died after being shot.
“We cannot speak of self-defense in this case because they have not demonstrated that Barthélémy Dias was beaten. It has also not been demonstrated that the visitors had weapons, ”said Fatou Omar Ndiaye, representative of the prosecution, in her indictment on Wednesday.
The representative of the public prosecutor thus called for the reversal of the verdict rendered at first instance and for the reclassification of the facts against the current mayor of Dakar. Fatou Omar Ndiaye affirmed that the excuse of provocation brandished by the defense and which was accepted by the judge during the first instance is ineffective.
Dias was sentenced at first instance in February 2017 to two years in prison, including six months in prison for fatal blows, intentional assault and battery and illegal possession of a weapon. In addition, he had to pay the payment of 25 million CFA francs (42,327 USD) in damages.
A dissident member of the presidential majority at the time of the judgment at first instance, Dias had appealed, for, he said, to clear his honor.
“I have no regrets, because that day I saw death, I felt it in my flesh. My life has value. If I am attacked again in this way, I will do the same thing again (…) I am here to clear my honor. Whatever your decision, I will remain mayor of Dakar, ”supported the thunderous opponent Dias at the helm. His lawyers have asked that he be cleared in this case.
The civil party is also asking for the offense to be reclassified as murder and for the payment of 150 million CFA francs (approximately 253 thousand USD) in damages.
The verdict is expected on May 18.
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