Paris Prosecutor Dismisses Complaint Against Messiha Over Police Support Fund

Bad news for Nahel’s mother. On Friday, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced that the investigation into the kitty launched by Jean Messiha in support of the family of the police officer who killed the young Nahel "was dismissed on June 13, 2024 on the grounds that no offense appeared to be sufficiently characterized." The kitty amounted to more than 1.6 million euros. It was paid to Florian M., reports Le Monde. In launching this kitty, Jean Messiha said he wanted to support "the family of the Nanterre police officer, Florian M., who did his job and who is paying the price today." The police officer had been held in pre-trial detention for five months.

In June 2023, Nahel’s mother, through her lawyer Yassine Bouzrou, filed a complaint against Jean Messiha for "organized fraud" and "receiving this offense." The lawyer denounced "fraudulent maneuvers aimed at deceiving the people" likely to participate in the kitty. The victim’s mother accuses Jean Messiha of having revealed the information from Nahel’s criminal record file to "criminalize" him and create a movement of support for the police officer who shot. He also publicly and falsely presented Nahel "as a repeat offender," the complaint adds.

The death of the 17-year-old "had relaunched the debate on police violence in France" and triggered a week of riots across France, notably in Lyon, Marseille and the Paris suburbs, and about a hundred town halls had been damaged.