Belgian Man Exonerated After 14-Year Legal Battle Over Drug Charges

Accused of having supplied cocaine to a drug addict who died of an overdose on January 8, 2006, Kasbaoui has never admitted the facts. Acquitted by the Brussels correctional court for the acts he is accused of, he was however sentenced to community service for contempt of court, reports the newspaper la Dernière heure.

Not approving this conviction, he appealed the decision. After re-examining the case in its entirety, the Court of Appeal found him guilty, highlighting a report from a police officer incriminating the defendant. In challenging this new decision, Saïd Kasbaoui seized the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg for violation of his right to a fair trial. The court dismissed him.

Saïd Kabaoui will have finally tried everything to prevail, in 14 years of legal battle during which 27 lawyers have in vain exploited all avenues of appeal. The fees of these advisers are estimated at 45,000 euros.

Sentenced to 4 years in prison, he was released after two years and 4 months. Once free, he continues to loudly proclaim his innocence. "I maintain that justice was wrong," he said.

The autopsy seems to prove him right. It revealed that the victim’s last cocaine use was fifteen days earlier, and that the overdose was due to excessive consumption of methadone and other drugs.

"I had promised myself to restore the truth... My honor is no longer at stake. Now it is up to justice to see if it can accommodate continuing to validate a judicial error," says Saïd Kasbaoui.