For the family’s lawyers, Patrick Klugman and Sacha Ghozlan, the initial ruling must be overturned on appeal in order to “clearly name what happened”.
The Nanterre prosecutor’s office announced it has appealed the December 18th ruling by the criminal court concerning a 42-year-old Algerian nanny, subject to a deportation order, who was convicted of poisoning the Jewish family for whom she worked. This judicial decision has been closely scrutinized due to the court’s failure to acknowledge the antisemitic nature of the acts .
The events date back to January 2024 in Levallois-Perret (Hauts-de-Seine). The nanny had poured household cleaning products into several bottles of alcohol belonging to the parents of the children in her care, causing their poisoning. For these actions, she was sentenced to three years in prison, two and a half of which were to be served .
However, the court did not uphold the aggravating circumstance of antisemitism, which the prosecution had requested. During a search, the defendant stated that she had acted because her employers “have money and power” and added that she “should never have worked for a Jewish woman.” She later described these remarks in court as a “hate speech,” while denying any racist or antisemitic motivation.
In its ruling, the court determined that these statements could not be considered an aggravating circumstance, particularly given the absence of a lawyer during the search in which they were made. The judges nevertheless emphasized the seriousness of the offenses, citing a breach of trust and the defendant’s inconsistent behavior throughout the proceedings.
For the family’s lawyers, Patrick Klugman and Sacha Ghozlan, this ruling is unacceptable. They believe that antisemitism is at the heart of the case and that the initial decision must be overturned on appeal in order to “clearly name what happened.”
The nanny was also convicted of using a forged document after a fake Belgian identity card was discovered, and banned from French territory for five years. The prosecution’s appeal could now lead to a more serious reclassification of the charges.
