CAR evacuates French citizen accused of spying in France

A Frenchman arrested two years ago in the Central African Republic and accused of espionage was evacuated to Paris for health reasons, his sister announced this Sunday to AFP, the Central African justice stating that he will have to return to Bangui for his trial .

Juan Rémy Quignolot, 57, a former soldier, had spent 16 months in pre-trial detention in Bangui before being released under judicial supervision on September 22, 2022, the prosecution already citing health reasons.

Quoting a medical report which clearly shows that his state of health continues to deteriorate and risks being prejudicial to the life of the accused, the president of the Indictment Chamber of the Court of appeal, Laurent Ouambita, authorized his exit from the national territory in an order dated May 17.

“We welcomed him this morning at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport,” announced his sister Caroline Quignolot by telephone.

Juan Rémy Quignolot was arrested on May 10, 2021 at his home in Bangui. France immediately denounced “manifest instrumentalization” of which it implicitly accused Russia.

Relations Bangui and Paris had deteriorated deeply since 2018 and the massive arrival in its former colony of mercenaries from the Russian group Wagner.