A few days after commemorating the 7th anniversary of the attack on July 14, the Nice prosecutor’s office expressed support for reclassifying the facts concerning the investigation into security measures.
A new turning point is about to be taken in the investigation of the security surrounding the July 14, 2016, fireworks display. Tragically made famous after the attack carried out by Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, this tragedy claimed the lives of 86 people. After several years of proceedings, a new development was made yesterday by the Nice prosecutor’s office. They decided to reclassify the case as “involuntary manslaughter and injury.” This information was confirmed by Nice prosecutor Xavier Bonhomme to AFP. “The facts are open to reclassification as involuntary manslaughter and injury caused by carelessness, recklessness, and negligence.”
As a reminder, the investigation was opened in 2017 after several civil parties filed a complaint. The complaint was filed for “endangering the life of others by willfully violating a regulatory safety or caution obligation.”
The “Promenade des Anges” Association Requests
the Indictment of Christian Estrosi
Through its co-president Célia Viale, the “Promenade des Anges” association, created in support of those affected by the attack either directly or indirectly, has requested the indictment of the current mayor of Nice. According to her, Christian Estrosi, who was the deputy mayor at the time, is responsible for managing the event’s safety. “During his testimony, which lasted six hours, he said they were more prepared for a Bataclan-type attack. It is not with about sixty police officers that it would have been possible to do anything,” deplores the one who lost her mother during the attack. “The town hall had the concrete barriers, it wouldn’t have cost much to put them in place.”
For now, the mayor of Nice remains under the status of an assisted witness. The former prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, Adolphe Colrat, his then-chief of staff, François-Xavier Lauch, as well as Philippe Pradal are also under this same status.
