Moroccan Driver Awarded €25,042 After Spending 105 Days in French Jail Before Acquittal
A Moroccan driver has been awarded more than 25,000 euros after spending three months and 13 days in pretrial detention in France. Acquitted four years later, he will be compensated for moral damages, lost wages and legal costs.
From March 12 to June 25, 2020, as France entered the Covid-19 crisis, the man, born in Morocco in 1982, was held in a remand prison. He worked as a bus driver and ticket collector, but his detention interrupted his work and cost him several thousand euros in income.
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He was charged with habitual violence against a vulnerable person and unlawful confinement. The judicial proceedings continued for several years. On June 7, 2024, the Aix-en-Provence criminal court acquitted him.
The man then sought 61,360.10 euros from the state for his time in detention. His claim included the shock of being imprisoned, psychological suffering, lost wages and lawyers’ fees. The case came before the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal, which ruled on October 5, 2026.
Lost wages included in the calculation
According to the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal ruling, documents from his employer established lost income of 5,142.58 euros. The judges added 2,500 euros in legal fees related to the detention proceedings, bringing the recognized material damages to 7,642.58 euros.
For moral damages, the court awarded 15,000 euros. It took into account the length of his detention, the shock of imprisonment and the conditions of detention, which were worsened by the pandemic. His two previous convictions had not resulted in any prison time, a factor included in the assessment of the shock he suffered.
Finally, the judge awarded 2,400 euros for the costs of the compensation proceedings. In total, the ruling set the amount due to the former detainee at 25,042.58 euros, more than six years after he entered prison and more than two years after his acquittal.
