French court begins hearings on Indian passengers stranded at Folha de Pernambuco airport

EUROPE

Authorities have blocked 303 passengers since last Thursday (21) on suspicion of human trafficking

Per AFPDEC 24, 2023 at 4:31 p.m

Plane arrested in France on suspicion of human trafficking François Nascimbeni/AFP

The French judiciary began this Sunday (24) to hear the statements of 303 Indian passengers who traveled from the United Arab Emirates to Nicaragua with a stopover in France, but were detained at an airport in the north of the country due to a report of possible drugs were human trafficked.


Four judges must decide whether passengers, including 11 unaccompanied minors, can be held in the waiting area longer than the four days required under French law.


Passengers have been stuck at Vatry airport, 150 km east of Paris, since Thursday after the plane, an Airbus A340 belonging to Romanian airline Legend Airlines, was detained by French authorities.




The plane would fly from Dubai to Managua and make a stopover in France. The Paris prosecutor's office said Friday that the trip had been suspended following an “anonymous complaint” that some passengers might be victims of “human trafficking.”


A source close to the investigation said the passengers, likely Indian workers in the Emirates, were attempting to travel to a Central American country in an attempt to travel north and enter the United States or Canada irregularly.


The law stipulates that a foreigner who arrives in France and is denied boarding to the destination country can be detained in the waiting area for up to four days. However, the period may be extended by a judge and a further eight days in the specialization. Depending on the resources presented, the maximum length of stay in the waiting area is 26 days.


Four judges must determine whether these conditions are met. However, you only have two days to hear all passengers and another 24 hours to make a decision. “The aim is to be able to see everyone,” explained Annick Browne, organizer of ChâlonsenChampagne.


application for asylum
The hearings, with lawyers and translators present, take place in the building next to the waiting area, where white tarpaulins are installed to avoid prying eyes.


The investigation, coordinated by the national jurisdiction to combat organized crime (Junalco, its French acronym), seeks to verify whether there are elements that corroborate the suspicion of human trafficking.


Two passengers were arrested on Friday on suspicion of human trafficking and the detention period was extended on Saturday evening to a “maximum period of 48 hours,” the Paris MP reported. According to a source following the case, ten passengers applied for asylum.


While they wait for a solution to the case, the foreigners are “making a lot of calls to their families and talking to each other” in areas approved by the civil protection service, said Patrick Jaloux, president of the civil protection department in the Marne department.


The town hall reported that it had installed showers, toilets and single beds as well as a “family room” to protect against intimidation between fathers, mothers and children.


The crew members, 15 for the DubaiVatry section and 14 or 15 for the VatryManagua connection, “were questioned and were allowed to leave freely and return home if they wanted,” Liliana Bakayoko, the company's lawyer, said on Saturday. Antenna.


According to the specialized website Flightradar, Legend Airlines is a small company with a fleet of four aircraft. Human trafficking is a crime punishable in France by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of 3 million euros (R16 million).