Ghislaine Marchal

Omar Raddad, a Moroccan national who was found guilty in 1994 of the murder of wealthy heiress Ghislaine Marchal, for whom he worked as a gardener, who received a presidential pardon and who has continued to protest his innocence for more than 25 years, has finally won a lengthy judicial battle to have the case reviewed. 

Last week, journalists from Mediapart and weekly news magazine Le Point stood trial on ‘invasion of privacy’ charges for having published secretly-recorded conversations that revealed corruption and profiteering by the entourage of L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt. The prosecution has demanded they receive symbolic fines, and a verdict will be delivered in January. Meanwhile, the tax administration demanded the online press make backpayments for VAT rates that no longer apply. The week was capped by developments in a long-running murder case where the possible proof of a shameful miscarriage of justice remains buried by inertia. Hubert Huertas pulls on a common thread linking all three events.