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Paris Court Sentences 22 Defendants in Masonic Lodge Case
A Paris criminal court handed down prison terms to 22 defendants after a three-and-a-half-month trial involving murder, attempted murder, and violent assaults tied to a Masonic lodge. The longest sentences reached 30 years.
Jul 18, 7:06 AM·1m read1 source
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A Paris criminal court on Friday sentenced 22 defendants in a case involving murder, two attempted murders, and multiple violent assaults connected to activities at a Masonic lodge in the Paris region. The trial, which lasted more than three months, centered on crimes carried out between 2016 and 2020. The court read the verdicts in less than half an hour without detailing its reasoning.
defendants received prison terms of five years or less, some partially suspended. A former police officer among them had faced a prosecution request of 12 years. Two defendants described by prosecutors as organizers of the most violent acts received the heaviest sentences.
One was sentenced to 30 years and the other to 25 years, matching prosecution requests. The court identified one defendant as the central figure without whom the operation would not have been possible and noted his former police status as an aggravating factor.
A lawyer for the defendant sentenced to 30 years said the court did not give enough weight to his client's recognition of the seriousness of the acts and noted the client's poor health after a suicide attempt in prison. The lawyer did not say whether an appeal would be filed.
