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Over 22 people are on trial for charges ranging from criminal conspiracy to murder tied to a network operating out of the Athanor masonic lodge. But this week, the hearings focused on something else — defendants’ personalities.
PARIS (CN) — This week, the “Athanor” trial — referring to a masonic lodge at the heart of a criminal network — opened in Paris. Over the course of roughly three months, the court will examine the cases of 22 defendants, with charges ranging from criminal conspiracy to murder.
The defendants’ backgrounds are diverse: former employees of France’s foreign intelligence agency, a building superintendent, a former journalist, a racecar driver, a gunsmith — the list goes on. Few have criminal records.
“We’re illuminating the personalities, the stories of the accused,” the presiding head judge told a witness Friday. She stressed that the goal was to discuss character, not crime.
Throughout the week, court psychologists described the defendants’ childhoods, relationships and defining moments. Family members and partners also testified.
On Friday, the father of one defendant took the stand as his son watched from beside him. The son is charged with complicity by aiding and abetting an attempted murder, conspiracy to commit organized murder and organizing the receipt of stolen goods.
But his father told the story of a boy who had always been “respectful with people.” Then, his son’s lawyer asked a question.
“Do you have any idea about the word that your son has used to describe you?” he asked.
“Maybe the ‘old’ one?” his father joked.
“He described you as his hero,” the lawyer said.
A collective sigh rippled through the courtroom. The defendant’s father removed his glasses, lowered his head and began to cry. From the back of the courtroom, his son’s muffled weeping could be heard as his shoulders shook.
Throughout the week, the stories revealed largely ordinary upbringings, schooling and jobs. But the case has been likened to a movie plot.
In July 2020, Pierre Bourdin and Carl Esnault were sitting in a black Clio in the suburbs of Paris, tracking the location of business coach Marie-Hélène Dini, whom they had been instructed to kill. Dressed suspiciously for the summer heat in gloves and balaclavas, the men drew the attention of a passerby, who called the police.
After their arrest, Bourdin and Esnault told investigators they were working for France’s foreign intelligence agency, the Directorate General for External Security, or DGSE, and had been ordered to kill Dini because she was supposedly working for Mossad. However, police found no evidence to support the claim.
The investigation led authorities to a broader criminal network tied to the masonic Athanor lodge in Puteaux, a Paris suburb.
Jean-Luc Bagur, Frederic Vaglio and Daniel Beaulieu are the accused of leading the network. Investigators say Bagur, the “venerable master” of the Athanor lodge, was also a business rival of Dini, providing a possible motive for the plot.
According to investigators, the group exploited Bourdin and Esnault’s ambitions. Both men worked as guards at a DGSE military base but hoped to become field operatives. Bourdin told investigators he was tired of staring at surveillance screens all day and wanted a mission.
On Friday afternoon, Bourdin and Esnault entered the Paris courtroom wearing baseball caps and face masks, which they removed once inside. Bourdin, dressed in tight blue jeans and a white sweater with blue stripes, paced alone in the aisle with bloodshot eyes as he waited for the hearing to begin.
Before proceedings started, the two men exchanged raised eyebrows and deep sighs.
The three-month trial concerns the murder of a racecar driver, the attempted murders of Dini and a trade unionist, aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy. Prosecutors have brought 112 charges against the group, including 16 felonies and 86 misdemeanors. Four defendants face possible life sentences.
Earlier Friday, one defendant’s wife testified. Her husband is charged with attempted extortion for allegedly trying to collect a debt by threatening a couple with accusations of pedophilia, placing dead rats in their garden and making threatening phone calls. He is also charged with participating in a criminal conspiracy to carry out the extortion as part of an organized group.
His wife described the defendant as “someone who’s nice, likable … he has a discreet side so he doesn’t tell me everything he does … especially with work.”
The couple has a 12-year-old daughter, and their lives were relatively normal before the trial began; “tranquil,” she said, albeit with some financial issues. Since she didn’t have a bank account, he would come with her to run errands and pay with a card; she couldn’t elaborate on the extent of the troubles.
She said that this ordeal has been “traumatizing” for her and she can’t sleep at night despite seeing a psychologist and taking medication.
“This is the first time that I’ve been in a courtroom,” she said.
Personality analyses are set to continue through April 10. Then, the court is expected to shift toward “general investigations.” The verdict is expected on July 17.
From courthousenews.com
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