Arrested in Amsterdam, the mother of the infant, born very premature, will be presented to a French investigating judge during the day with a view to her indictment.
“It’s a young mother who made an inconsiderate choice”summarizes his lawyer, Me Romuald Sayagh, contacted by Le Figaro. Incarcerated since October 25 in the Netherlands, Cristina must be handed over this Thursday to the French authorities and presented to an investigating judge at the Bobigny court as part of an investigation opened for kidnapping, as revealed by BFMTV.
The father's counsel, Me Stéphane Gas, has not yet responded to our requests but no repatriation date has yet been planned for his client. At the beginning of November, the spokesperson for the Amsterdam court explained that he had “opted for the long procedure” and that “the request for surrender will be dealt with at a public hearing of the International Legal Assistance Chamber at a later date.”
Four days on the run
On October 21, Cristina, 23, and her companion, aged 25, left the neonatology department of a hospital in Aulnay-sous-Bois, near Paris, with their 17-day-old infant, born extremely premature, hidden in a shopping bag. While the baby's state of health required sustained and specific medical care, they fled by car, leading to the activation of the kidnapping alert plan by the French authorities. The device was lifted when investigators became certain that the couple had passed through Belgium. The Belgian federal police then took over and broadcast an appeal to the population.
Thanks to the analysis of telephone data and wiretaps carried out by investigators, the parents and their baby were found on October 25 at the Neutraal Hotel, in the tourist center of Amsterdam, a stone's throw from the central station. Both were placed in pre-trial detention pending extradition to France. Cristina's transfer must take place at the end of the day this Thursday, Mr. Sayagh tells us, stressing that his client is “very fragile” but ready to explain the reasons for his action to the investigating magistrate.
“She’s a good mother.”
“When her baby was born extremely premature, the mother immediately adhered to the medical care offered. But the mention of a possible placement of the child made him panic. She recognizes it, but she’s a good mother”argues the lawyer. If no placement order had been made, had this possibility been considered because of the parents' criminal records? The father is in fact known for violence and the mother for drug use. At this point, the question remains unanswered.
After being taken care of in Amsterdam, little Santiago was repatriated to France on October 31 by ambulance and hospitalized. Despite the risks that such a run entailed for this very premature baby born eight weeks before the term, the infant “has gained weight and is in good health”assures Me Sayagh who insists on the fact that “the child needs contact with his mother and more broadly with his family. Cristina's parents are united behind her and their grandson.. It remains to be seen what the investigating judge will decide this Thursday. The magistrate can opt for an indictment and, if necessary, decide on a judicial review or request the placement in pre-trial detention of Cristina.
In this case, two men, a minor and an adult, have already been indicted for “kidnapping and sequestration of a minor under 15 years old by an organized gang” and temporarily incarcerated. They admitted to having accompanied the couple and the infant in their flight to Belgium.
