Omar Raddad: French Court Rejects New Trial in Decades-Old Murder Case

The investigating commission of the court of review ruled on Thursday that the request of the former Moroccan gardener Omar Raddad, convicted twenty-eight years ago for the murder of Ghislaine Marchal and who wanted a new trial, was inadmissible. His lawyer said she was "disappointed" and "outraged" by this decision, which comes 20 years after the rejection of the first request.

Omar Raddad hoped that scientific advances in DNA could allow him to obtain the revision of his trial in order to clear his name, because even if he had benefited from a presidential pardon, he remains guilty of the murder of Ghislaine Marchal in the eyes of the law. His lawyer also thought she had taken an important step towards a new trial that could prove her client’s innocence, but it was all just disillusionment.

The decision of the investigating commission of the court of review may perhaps put an end to a long judicial saga with multiple twists and turns that has not turned in favor of the Moroccan gardener. However, his lawyer has expressed her wish to refer the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).