President of Djibouti Talks About Borrel Case

FRANCE 24 INTERVIEW: On Thursday, shortly after meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris, Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh said his “conscience was clear” in the case of the suspicious death of French judge Bernard Borrel in an exclusive interview with France 24.

In 1995, the charred body of French judge Bernard Borrel, who was posted in Djibouti, was found 80 km outside the capital. The initial French inquiry accepted the initial thesis that it was a suicide. However, that explanation was subsequently scrapped following medical reports.

The case threatened to mar diplomatic relations between France and Djibouti after a former Djibouti presidential guard implicated President Ismail Omar Guelleh in Borrel’s killing.

‘Clear conscience’  

Questioned about his Feb. 2007 summons by a French court in the case, Guelleh replied that as a head-of-state he had diplomatic immunity. “I consider this summons unjust, illegal and without basis,” he declared, before adding, “Djiboutians are in no way connected with this case.  It was not the Djiboutians who found the body, neither did they conduct the autopsy or investigations.

Doubts on the independence of the judicial system

The Djibouti president, in addition, was very critical about the independence of the French judicial system. “The French judicial system is independent, I don’t disagree, but I cannot accept that judges can be ‘victims’ judges’ at the same time," he said. “If you think that’s judicial independence, that’s your prerogative; as for me, I don’t believe it is.”

Speaking about the presidential guard, Mohammed Saleh Aloumekani, who claimed that Guelleh was possibly involved in the murder, the Djiboutian president dismissed Aloumekani’s claims as a “false testimony". Aloumekani is currently a refugee in Belgium. “He made these claims to obtain political asylum in Brussels.”

Guelleh maintained that the recent expulsion of some members of Aloumekani’s family in October had been ordered "for their own safety".

The effect of the ‘Borrell issue’ on Franco-Djiboutian relations

Guelleh was optimistic about the future of relations between France and Djibouti, declaring that this incident would not affect relations between the two countries. “We have decided that relations between our two countries will not be affected by this issue, which is a judicial issue.”

It’s a response that mirrors the French government’s line on the issue. Speaking about French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s meeting with Guelleh, the French presidential spokesman said earlier on Thursday that “France and Djibouti enjoy cordial relations based on mutual confidence.”

“There is no link between legal processes and relations between two states,” he said, adding that there was “good cooperation between judges and judicial personnel between the two countries in accordance with international law in the interests of justice.”

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