Grégory Case: Jacqueline Jacob Summoned for Questioning, Lawyers Denounce “Scandalous” Timing
DIJON, FRANCE - Jacqueline Jacob, the grand-aunt of murdered four-year-old Grégory Villemin, is scheduled to appear before investigators in Dijon on September 5th, a advancement her legal team is fiercely contesting. The summons, issued just ten days prior, has sparked outrage from Jacob’s lawyers, who allege a deliberate attempt to undermine her defense.
“It is indeed scandalous to summon us in just 10 days, that we are also looking forward to sending us a copy of the file. It is indeed quite revealing of the idea that we have defense rights,” stated Me Frédéric Berna, one of the Jacob couple’s attorneys. He described the recent judgment targeting Jacqueline Jacob as “absolutely lunar,” and criticized “pseudos expertise in pen” leaked to the media in violation of confidentiality. “I thought that justice had touched the bottom, I think she decided to dig…”
Me Stéphane Giuranna, another lawyer representing the Jacob couple, further asserted that the president of the inquiry chamber is “not respecting the rights of the defense.” He explained that the legal team had previously informed investigators of their unavailability between september 8th and December 19th due to prior trial commitments, yet the summons was issued just two days before the start of that trial. “Ther is clearly a desire to harm the defense.I will therefore officially request the postponement of this invitation at the end of our assize trial.”
Giuranna emphatically maintained Jacqueline jacob’s innocence, stating, “Jacqueline Jacob is totally innocent of the eccentric facts that he is accused of… a single man reproaches him.” He highlighted that the public prosecutor’s office has, for eight years, indicated no evidence supporting an indictment against Ms. Jacob.
The lawyers intend to pursue all available legal avenues, including appealing to the Court of Cassation, arguing that the investigative methods mirror those employed by previous judges involved in the long-running case.
The Grégory Villemin case has gripped France since the boy’s disappearance and subsequent murder in 1984. Numerous suspects have been investigated over the decades, but the case remains unsolved, marked by procedural errors and shifting theories. the renewed focus on Jacqueline Jacob comes after years of scrutiny and debate surrounding the evidence and potential motives in the decades-old investigation.