France - terrorism

Ramda life sentence upheld by appeals court

Article published on the 2009-10-13 Latest update 2009-10-13 16:46 TU

Court sketch of Rachid Ramda during his trial in Paris in 2007
(Photo: Benoît Peyrucq/AFP)

An Algerian found guilty of plotting the 1995 Paris metro bombings had his life sentence confirmed by a French appeal court on Tuesday. Rachid Ramda had been given a life sentence with no possibility of parole for 22 years during his previous trial in 2007 for the attacks that left eight dead and more than 200 injured.

The biggest attack was on the Saint-Michel station in the heart of the capital that left eight people dead and 150 injured. The others, on the Musee d'Orsay and Maison-Blanche metro stations, left dozens injured.

The 40-year-old defendant has repeatedly denied accusations that he colluded with the militant Armed Islamic Group (GIA) to fund the three bombings on Paris metro stations.

During the appeals trial, Ramda’s defence lawyers renewed their arguments that their client is a victim of a plot by Algerian secret services to silence political opponents.

Ramda was extradited from Britain in December 2005 after a ten-year legal battle. He had already been sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison by a separate French court on other charges related to the bombings.