Bernard Borrel

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Bernard Borrel was a French magistrate in Djibouti. He died under mysterious circumstances on 19 October 1995.

At the time of his death, Borrel had been making investigations into money-laundering. His burned body was found at the bottom of a ravine, 80 kilometers from Djibouti. Initial investigations by the Djiboutian authorities stated the cause of death to be depression leading to self-immolation.

At first, French investigators subscribed to the Djiboutian side of the story, but subsequent medical and legal studies conducted by the French confirmed that he was indeed murdered.

[edit] Investigation into Borrel's death

His wife Elisabeth Borrel demanded an autopsy - but no autopsy took place in Djibouti and the X-rays made during the first examination of the body disappeared.

French magistrates assigned to the case said in September 1999 "except considering the existence of a vast politico-legal plot, implying interference of the testimony of witnesses, voluntarily erroneous verbal lawsuits, directed medical examinations and general conspiracy of silence, the assumption of the assassination cannot, to date, being seriously retained."

In January 2000, a former officer of the presidential guard, Mohammed Saleh Aloumekani, blamed the current Djibouti president of the Republic, Ismail Omar Guelleh, as being a possible partner of the murder; Aloumekhani witnessed a conversation on October 19 afternoon with Ismael Omar Guelleh then chief of the services of safety with 5 other men regarding “the elimination of the nosy judge”.^[1]

French authorities in 2006 issued arrest warrants against the Djibouti state prosecutor and the head of the country's secret services in connection with Borrel's death.

The diplomatic row was deepened when the Parisian court on 10 January 2007 ordered the appearance of Hassan Saeed, the head of Djibouti's intelligence services. Saeed had been accused of forcing an army officer to lie to the inquiry commission looking into the death of Mr Borrel. Since that, the Djiboutian officer had fled the country and was now a witness in the French court. ^[2]

According to Ali Abdi Farah, Djibouti Foreign Minister, "Djibouti authorities did not at any point interfere with the process."

French officials later supported the Foreign Minister's statement, maintaining that Djiboutian authorities had never interfered in the Borrel case. It had been a French investigation, relying on "the excellent cooperation of Djiboutian authorities and justice" in full transparency. French investigators had been assured full access to all places, persons and information they needed, even to classified military secrets, the Quai d'Orsay emphasises.

Shifting from its previous stance, the French Justice Ministry 15 February 2007 issued a statement, stating "with regard to international custody and the law, heads of state have the same immunity as diplomats, and as a result they cannot be required to testify in a French judicial system." ^[3]