At the trial of the collapses on rue d’Aubagne in Marseille, the lawyers of the main defendants pleaded for acquittal, blaming other parties or those absent from the trial.
The hearings in the trial of the building collapses on rue d’Aubagne, in Marseille, continued Monday and Tuesday with the pleadings of the lawyers of the main defendants. The latter, often disagreeing on responsibilities, requested the release of their clients.
A trial that goes beyond the simple legal question
« The court is not a forum, it does not deal with substandard housing», declared Me Christophe Bass, lawyer for the trustee of 65 rue d’Aubagne. For him, the Liautard firm, which he represents, fulfilled its obligations despite the refusal of the co-owners to follow its recommendations.
Me Pierre Ceccaldi, defender of Xavier Cachard, co-owner and former regional elected official, denounced a “ trial of intent » based on a supposed “ greed ».
According to him, nothing justifies a conviction of his client, for whom the prosecutor requested five years in prison, three of which are closed. A sentence that he considers disproportionateconsidering that the co-owners did not have the deliberate intention of neglecting the structural problems of the building.
The role of experts called into question
Another key figure in the trial: Richard Carta, architect commissioned to assess the building less than three weeks before its collapse. For his lawyers, the prosecutor’s verdict – three years in prison, two of which are closed – is incomprehensible. “ Why is my client being prosecuted, when Reynald Filipputti, an expert who monitored the building for four years, benefited from a dismissal of the case? “, Cyril Gosset called me.
The architect’s lawyers point out that the role of a legal expert is to assess the imminence of a danger, not to decide on evacuations. According to them, responsibility for these decisions fell to the town hall, headed at the time by Jean-Claude Gaudin, who died last May.
Julien Ruas, then deputy mayor in charge of risk prevention, must plead this Wednesday, December 18. For the civil parties, municipal management of substandard housing remains a blind spot in this trial.
If the defendants present defend themselves vigorously, those absent from the trial – co-owners not prosecuted, former municipal officials – continue to crystallize the anger of the victims and their loved ones. The decision of the criminal court will be deliberated on July 7, 2025.
Marie Gerald (With AFP)
Photo de Une: Adobe Stock
