The last case of the autumn session of the Haute-Corse Assize Court promises to be tense. Marcel Vadella, 51, bar manager in Bastia, is accused of the murder of Jamal Fadil and attempted murder of Jaoide Fadil. The two men are brothers. The accused faces 30 years of criminal imprisonment.
Marcel Vadella appears free with an electronic bracelet after a judgment by the investigating chamber. The facts took place on December 19, 2020, early in the afternoon, rue Santa Maddalena, in the southern districts of Bastia, at the bar “L'Arcole”, managed by the accused.
When the police arrived on site, Marcel Vadella was still there. He indicates that he opened fire with an automatic pistol, caliber 9 mm, on two people. Jamal Fadil, 40, was shot several times and died. His brother, Jaoide, was seriously injured in the left leg and hip.
A debt linked to the rent of the accused's bar
Investigations established that Marcel Vadella was the owner of the bar “Le Typique” managed by the Fadil brothers, a few steps from “L'Arcole”. According to both parties and several witnesses, an altercation took place the day before the incident between the fifty-year-old and the two brothers. Marcel Vadella was allegedly beaten by the two men.
At the center of the conflict, a debt from the Fadil brothers to the owner of the bar, for the payment of rent. According to Marcel Vadella, the amount reached 9,000 euros. In the opposite camp, the debt is estimated at around 1,500 euros, or a monthly payment. In his version, the accused says he asked the siblings to return the bar to him. The latter would have conditioned her departure on payment of the sum of 80,000 euros and would have threatened to burn the establishment and slaughter it. In the process, Marcel Vadella was allegedly beaten up. A story denied outright by Jaoide Fadil.
Marcel Vadella pleads the legitimate defense
The next day, the investigation established that the Fadil brothers “came to contact” by Marcel Vadella who was in front of the bar “L'Arcole”. After an exchange of words, the shooter fired at the two men.
The accused pleads self-defense. “He explains that he was punched by Jaoide Fadil and then saw Jamal Fadil in possession of a blade that he assumed was a knife,” notes the investigating judge. Medical and ballistic findings undermine this version. No knives were found at the scene.
The verdict is expected on Friday
Jaoide Fadil is presented as close to organized crime by the police. He was sentenced to five years in prison for the fire at the “La Mise au verre” bar in Bastia. His record also includes convictions for theft with violence, money laundering, organized gang fraud. His brother Jamal is known to the courts for carrying a weapon and a drug-related case. He was wearing an electronic bracelet at the time of the incident. Marcel Vadella has no criminal record.
The accused is defended by Nathalie Airola and Camille Romani. On the side of the civil parties, Jaoide Fadil, his mother and one of his brothers, are represented by Messrs Mourad Battikh and Elena Campario. My Benoît Bronzini De Caraffa and Jean-Baptiste Ortal-Cipriani are the counsel for the father of the two victims. Me Salima Darsi is the lawyer for another member of the Fadil siblings.
The verdict is expected on Friday.
