Sentenced for two murders and suspected in twenty other cases, the 79-year-old man intends to bend justice and prove his innocence.
“I have much to do.” Barely released from prison in Nepal where he spent almost 20 years in detention and while boarding a plane to Paris, Frenchman Charles Sobhraj, convicted of murder and considered a serial killer in the 1970s in Asia, had indicated that his schedule would be busy in the weeks and months to come.
Special monitoring
Only, given the liabilities of the one who is nicknamed “The Serpent”, convicted of two murders but suspected in twenty other cases of the same spring, the daily life will never be that of an ordinary citizen. Invited on BFMTV, Bruno Pomart, former operational instructor of the Raid, assures that the authorities will keep Sobhraj under surveillance.
“He is trying to get back on the right track with regard to the facts for which he is accused, but we do not do twenty years in prison by chance”, he begins.
“The French police services, given the profile, will look closely at this individual. With his past, we must take into account his age and his health, we will have to be vigilant vis-à-vis this individual. French intelligence will have a precise eye on this individual to perhaps prevent him from reoffending. I don’t think so, but the human being is complicated, you have to expect everything, “he adds.
Upon his arrival at Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle airport, Charles Sobhraj was immediately taken in charge by the police for “identity checks.”
Legal attacks
Among the “things to do” mentioned by Charles Sobhraj on the way to Paris, the now 78-year-old man, who has always claimed his innocence, seems to want to clear his name and take his opponents to court. For this, he will be supported by his lawyer, Me Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, who said she was “happy” but “shocked” by this release 19 years later.
“We’ve been fighting for more than 19 years. He was unjustly convicted on a completely fabricated file, with documents falsified by the Nepalese police,” she accuses.
Already, Charles Sobhraj has announced that he wants to sue Netflix and the BBC, who made a series about him that he and his lawyer consider untrue, as well as the state of Nepal. “(This series) gives it a completely falsified reputation, where there is only 30% truth,” said the lawyer on Franceinfo.
“If he wants to whitewash his past, he will have to bring concrete elements. He is an atypical, particular character, I let the lawyer who defends him bring substantial elements”, considers Bruno Pomart for his part.
In addition, Sobhraj also needs an open-heart surgery which he wanted to perform in Nepal, but his deportation to Paris prevented him from doing so.
