The trial of nine men suspected of running a smuggling network involved in a deadly 2023 shipwreck was set to start on Tuesday at the Paris criminal court.
Two Iraqis, six Afghans and a Sudanese man have been charged with manslaughter over suspicions they were piloting the boat carrying 65 people to the UK.
Seven died when the boat called the Zodiac sank in one of the deadliest incidents since such crossings surged in 2018. The trial is set to run until November 18.
Several of the accused, aged between 23 and 45, are also charged with endangering the lives of others, aiding and abetting illegal entry or residence in France, and criminal association.
A tenth man of Sudanese citizenship, who was a minor at the time of the incident, has been referred to a juvenile court.
The investigation has uncovered "an organised and structured system on French and German territory offering irregular migrants the opportunity to try to reach England", wrote the two investigating judges in their referral order, AFP reported.
Last month, The National revealed the number of migrants crammed on to boats making the dangerous English Channel crossing had risen to record levels, with an average of 80 per vessel on some days.
The incident occurred in the early hours of August 12, 2023, when an overloaded small boat – a seven-metre, non-rigid vessel reinforced with a wooden plank – was launched around 2am from a beach in northern France, near Calais.
An engine failure occurred at sea around 4am, followed by the rupture of an inflatable wall and the collapse of the boat. Passengers, who were all from Afghanistan, were ejected, as well as the two presumed Sudanese pilots. No one was wearing a life jacket.
Six bodies were recovered. Another was later found on a beach in the Netherlands. Survivors were taken into the care of French and British maritime rescue services.
Investigators discovered a network "led by the Iraqi-Kurdish community" with two branches: the first, with Germany as its rear base, dealt with the logistical aspect, while an "Afghan channel" was in charge of recruiting "candidates for crossing", according to the referral order.
These organisations "rely on an extremely flexible model, operating on the basis of social, family and clan networks", that exercise violence "with weapons and threats" to operate a "trafficking activity that proves particularly lucrative", the court document said.
Survivors said the crossing to England cost €1,300 to €1,500 ($1,495-$1,720) each.
The accused pilots – who deny having played this role – had arrived a few weeks before the attempted crossing on the Italian island of Lampedusa before reaching Calais.
"Their role within the organisation of the illegal immigration network must be distinguished from the central role of the smugglers," the judges said.
The lawyer of one of the supposed pilots, Raphael Kempf, told France Inter radio that his client, Ibrahim Aboubakar, 31, was also a victim of human trafficking. His family live in a refugee camp in Chad.
"He's accused of having been at the helm of the Zodiac, which he denies, but frankly that's beside the point," Mr Kempf said. "When a boat sets sail for England, everyone on board contributes in their own way to the success of the collective effort to reach England. We know that smugglers don't board the boats."
No one has yet faced trial over the deadliest known incident on this migration route, which occurred in November 2021 with 27 deaths.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
AL%20BOOM
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First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
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SPECS
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'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
Racecard
6pm: The Pointe - Conditions (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.35pm: Palm West Beach - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (T) 1,800m
7.10pm: The View at the Palm - Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.45pm: Nakeel Graduate Stakes - Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
8.20pm: Club Vista Mare - Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: The Palm Fountain - Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
9.30pm: The Palm Tower - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Price: From Dh149,900
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20Znap%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarted%3A%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Uday%20Rathod%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%241m%2B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EInvestors%3A%20Family%2C%20friends%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
HEADLINE HERE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
