Latest news with #LeJournalDuDimanche
LeMonde
20-05-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
France plans to build maximum-security prison in French Guiana, angering local officials
France plans to build a maximum-security prison wing for drug traffickers and Islamic militants near a former penal colony in French Guiana, sparking an outcry among residents and local officials. The wing would form part of a $450 million prison announced in 2017 that is expected to be completed by 2028 and hold 500 inmates. The prison would be built in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a town bordering Suriname that once received prisoners shipped by Napoleon III in the 1800s, some of whom were sent to the notorious Devil's Island off the coast of French Guiana. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced plans to build the high-security wing during an official visit to French Guiana on Saturday, May 17. He said in a Facebook post that 15 of the wing's 60 spaces would be reserved for Islamic militants. Darmanin was quoted by Le Journal du Dimanche, a French weekly newspaper, as saying that the prison also aims to keep suspected drug traffickers from having any contact with their criminal networks. "We are seeing more and more drug trafficking networks," he told reporters in French Guiana. "We must react." The announcement angered many in French Guiana, an overseas French department located in South America. It was once an infamous colony known for holding French political prisoners, including Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who was wrongly convicted of being a spy and spent five years on Devil's Island, from 1894-1899. 'Astonishment and indignation' Jean-Paul Fereira, acting president of French Guiana's territorial collective, an assembly of 51 lawmakers that oversees local government affairs, said they were taken aback by the announcement since the plan to build a high-security wing was never discussed with them ahead of time. "It is therefore with astonishment and indignation that the elected members of the Collectivity discovered, together with the entire population of Guiana, the information detailed in Le Journal Du Dimanche," he wrote in a statement posted Sunday on social media. Fereira said the move was disrespectful and insulting, noting that the agreement French Guiana signed in 2017 was for the construction of a new prison meant to alleviate overpopulation at the main prison. "While all local elected officials have long been calling for strong measures to curb the rise of organized crime in our territory, Guiana is not meant to welcome criminals and radicalized people from (mainland France)," he wrote. Also decrying the plan was Jean-Victor Castor, a member of Parliament in French Guiana. He said he wrote directly to France's prime minister to express his concerns, noting that the decision was taken without consulting local officials. "It's an insult to our history, a political provocation and a colonial regression," Castor wrote in a statement issued Sunday as he called on France to withdraw the project.
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First Post
13-05-2025
- First Post
Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris burglary case: How reality TV star was tied up, robbed at gunpoint
American reality TV star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian was held at gunpoint, tied up, and had her mouth taped as a group known as the 'grandpa robbers' in 2016. Ten people, including nine men and one woman, stole jewellery worth millions of dollars from her Paris suite. At the time, it was the biggest robbery targeting an individual in France in over two decades and made headlines worldwide. Nearly a decade later, the trial is finally underway, with Kardashian set to testify in court on Tuesday read more She was held at gunpoint, tied up, and had her mouth taped. Reuters/File Photo American reality TV star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian will appear in a Paris court on Tuesday as a witness in a burglary case that took place in 2016. The case involves a group of elderly men, dubbed the ' grandpa robbers ' by the French press, who are accused of stealing jewellery worth several million euros from Kardashian. At the time, it was the biggest robbery targeting a single person in France in over two decades and made headlines around the world. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Nearly ten years later, the trial is finally underway, with Kardashian taking the stand herself. So, what exactly happened during the robbery? Who are the so-called 'grandpa robbers'? And how did the incident affect Kardashian on a personal level? We answer these questions. Here's a look: What happened? Ten people, nine men and one woman, are facing charges related to the robbery and kidnapping of Kim Kardashian and the concierge at the luxury residence where she was staying on the night of October 2-3. She was held at gunpoint, tied up, and had her mouth taped. During what French media have called the 'heist of the century', masked men stole jewellery worth millions of dollars. Two of the accused allegedly forced the concierge to take them to Kardashian's suite. He later told police they shouted, 'Where's the rapper's wife?' Nearly ten years later, the trial is finally underway, with Kardashian taking the stand herself. Reuters/File Photo According to Sky News, Kardashian said she had been 'dozing' in bed when the men entered her room. She later said she believed her posts on social media gave the robbers a chance to act. 'I was Snapchatting that I was home, and that everyone was going out,' she said. In her police statement, according to French weekly Le Journal Du Dimanche, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star gave a detailed account of the attack. 'They grabbed me and took me into the hallway. They tied me up with plastic cables and taped my hands, then they put tape over my mouth and my legs.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What was stolen during the heist? Among the items taken was a diamond ring gifted to Kardashian by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West, valued at 3.5 million euros ($3.9 million). The thieves also stole a large Louis Vuitton jewellery box, which Kardashian said held 'everything I owned'. In a police report filed with French authorities at around 4.30 am on the night of the robbery, Kardashian listed the stolen items as: • Two diamond Cartier bracelets • A necklace with six small diamonds • Earrings by Yanina • An iPhone 6 and a BlackBerry • Three gold necklaces by Jacob • Various small bracelets, rings and other jewellery • A diamond necklace by Lauren Schwartz • Diamond earrings designed by Lauren Schwartz • A necklace with 'Saint' spelt out in diamonds • A diamond-encrusted cross pendant by Jacob • A gold and diamond necklace by Jacob • A yellow gold Rolex watch • Two yellow gold rings According to a Sky News report, police were only able to recover the diamond-encrusted cross, which was dropped by the robbers as they fled. Who are the 'grandpa robbers'? The people on trial are mostly men in their 60s and 70s, all with past criminal records. They are known by underworld names such as 'Old Omar' and 'Blue Eyes', nicknames that sound like characters from old French gangster films of the 1960s and 70s. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Aomar Ait Khedache, aged 68, has admitted to tying up Kardashian but denies that he was the one who planned the robbery. Another accused, Yunice Abbas, later wrote a book about what happened. Defendant Aomar Ait Khedache, left, one of the men accused in the 2016 armed robbery of Kim Kardashian, arrives at the palace of justice. AP At first, 12 people were facing trial. Since then, one has died and another cannot take part due to medical reasons, leaving ten people, nine men and one woman, on trial. Five of them are facing charges of armed robbery and kidnapping: • Yunice Abbas • Marc-Alexandre Boyer • Harminv Ait Khedache • Didier Dubreucq • Aomar Ait Khedache The other five are accused of either helping with the crime or having an illegal weapon: • François Delaporte • Gary Madar • Marc Boyer • Florus Heroui • Christiane Glotin As most of the accused are now elderly and dealing with health problems, and have already served time in custody, all ten are currently out on judicial supervision. 'Learned to be more private' The robbery led Kim Kardashian to rethink how she shared her life, both online and offline. Her fame had been built on openness, with her every move followed by millions, but that approach changed. 'I learned to be more private,' she said later. 'It's not worth the risk.' She stepped up her personal security, bringing in professionals with backgrounds in top-level protective services, including reported former members of the US Secret Service and CIA. She also stopped posting her whereabouts in real time. Expensive gifts and jewellery mostly disappeared from her social media. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint in 2016. Reuters/File Photo Her shift had a wider impact in Hollywood and fashion circles. Model Gigi Hadid increased her own security in the months that followed. She was seen at Paris fashion shows with several bodyguards. Kardashian's sister, Kendall Jenner, also reportedly took extra precautions ahead of the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Paris, following tighter safety rules and greater care online. Publicists and agents started urging their clients to delay social media posts, avoid tagging locations, and think carefully before showing off luxury items. Kardashian is expected to give evidence starting May 13. The trial is set to continue until May 23. With inputs from agencies
Mint
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Kim Kardashian's Paris robbery trial to begin from 28 April: Here's everything you need to know
American media personality Kim Kardashian, who was robbed at gunpoint in October 2016 in a Paris heist, is in the news again as the case is finally coming to court. The case was the biggest robbery of an individual in France for more than 20 years. It even made front pages around the world. After Kim and rapper Kanye West in a week-long celebration spanning Paris and Florence, they returned to Paris for Fashion Week, reported Sky News. However, her then-husband, West, returned to the US to pick up his Saint Pablo tour. Kim , along with her sister Kourtney and various members of their entourage, remained in Paris. On 3 October 2016, Kardashian remained alone in the Sky Penthouse on Tronchet Street apartment while the rest of her convoy, which also included her bodyguard Pascal Duvier, went out for the night. Three armed men wearing ski masks and dressed as police forced their way into the apartment block at 2.30 am. Two allegedly forced the concierge to lead them to Kardashian's suite. When the armed men entered her room, Kardashian claimed she had been "dozing" on her bed. She even stated that her social media posts may have provided the alleged robbers with "a window of opportunity". "I was Snapchatting that I was home, and that everyone was going out," Sky News quoted her as saying in the months after the incident. Kim vividly described the attack in a police report, as reported in the French weekly paper Le Journal Du Dimanche. "They grabbed me and took me into the hallway. They tied me up with plastic cables and taped my hands, then they put tape over my mouth and my legs." Kim had said, as the French daily reported, the robbers specifically asked her ring and money. Further she alleged, the robbers carried her into the bathroom and put her in the bathtub. She was wearing only a bathrobe at the time, she said. Kim initially thought the robbers 'were terrorists', a French police report taken in New York three months after the robbery had said. According to the police, Kim alleged the thieves took her large Louis Vuitton jewellery box, which she said contained "everything I owned", reported Sky News. She listed these items as having been stolen: • Two diamond Cartier bracelets • A gold and diamond Jacob necklace • Diamond earrings by Lauren Schwartz • Three gold Jacob necklaces • Little bracelets, jewels and rings • A Lauren Schwartz diamond necklace • A necklace with six little diamonds • A necklace with Saint spelt out in diamonds • A cross-shaped diamond-encrusted Jacob cross • A yellow gold Rolex watch • An iPhone 6 and a BlackBerry Later police recovered only the diamond-encrusted cross, which was dropped by the robbers while leaving. On 28 April, the hearing will begin at the Court of Appeal of Paris and is scheduled to last a month. The case will be heard by a presiding judge, two professional assessors, and six main jurors. The hearing involves more than 2,000 documents and there are four civil parties. Among the 12 defendants in the case, one person has died and another has a medical condition. So 10 people - nine men and one woman - will stand in trial. Five of the robbers – all aged between 60 and 72 at the time of the incident – are facing armed robbery and kidnapping charges. They are: The rest are charged with complicity in the heist or the unauthorised possession of a weapon. They are: In case found guilty, the accused of the more serious crimes could face 10 years to life imprisonment. According to lawyer Michael Rhodes, Kim wishes for the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion in accordance with French law. Despite a manhunt after the robbery, the case was sidelined as Paris was shaken by terrorist attacks by Islamic militants in 2015, where 130 people were killed, including 90 at a music event at the Bataclan theatre. In January 2017, 17 people were initially arrested in the Kardashian case, but 12 people were later charged. In 2021, an order was issued to send the case to trial, as limited court proceedings were taking place due to multiple COVID lockdowns. Also, at that time, France was holding its largest-ever criminal trial over the November 2015 terror attacks. First Published: 27 Apr 2025, 07:56 PM IST
