Trucks moved to chlorinated products spent by sector North reserved to nitrate

The Court of Toulouse yesterday placed the Total Group and its former CEO Thierry Desmarets among the defendants in the trial of the explosion of the AZF chemical plant in 2001, in response to the request of civil parties 20 direct quote. They will appear at the sides of the Grande Paroisse branch and the former plant Director Serge Biechlin, already indicted by the judges. Without ruling on the admissibility of the direct quotation, the court first ordered the "junction of the incident to the bottom", at the end of the trial. In a second time, after a debate between the civil parties and defence, he also directed "the junction of the two files, which means that it has only a single record and four persons pursued."

Thierry Desmarets, who wanted to participate in the trial as a witness in early June, according to his lawyer Jean Veil, must now be available to the accused justice. It is a victory for the civil parties, who had asked in vain to investigating judges to Total review. "Seven years ago that expected it!", said Frederic Arrou, President of the Association of the disaster. However, some civil parties pleaded yesterday against the junction of the procedures in fearing that the debate on the responsibility of Total surrender "confused" trial and alters the explanations on the explosion.

Assigning Total and Thierry Desmarets, the tribunal referred his decision on the admissibility of the direct quotation at the end of the trial, which seems surprising. This situation may create a legal imbroglio, because Total and its former CEO may have been that of virtual during the trial the accused if the tribunal decided in fine barred their summons. "Unusual situation", according to the Total Group, which confirmed in a news release that Thierry Desmarets is "ready to testify". The Attorney however felt that "good decision" was made by the Court, because the junction at the bottom to prevent defence or civil parties do the appeal from the decision of the tribunal on the direct quote and block the trial...

"Justice has prevailed."

Total became the owner of the AZF plant by absorbing in 1999 the Elf group and its subsidiary Ato Fina, holder of 81 of Grande Paroisse. "When it becomes the owner of a thing, the first impulse is that if security conditions are met, believes Gérard Ratier, President of the Association of bereaved families. Trucks moved to chlorinated products spent by sector North, reserved to nitrate. It is incompatible products. A seal between the two zones was not established and it is a responsibility of the Group Total.

But for the lawyer to Grande Paroisse, Daniel want-Larivière, "the fact that total or step in the trial has nothing to do with the main purpose of what happened on September 21, 2001, and it brings nothing more". On the other hand, the defender of the civil parties seeking the Total quotation, Mr. Simon Cohen, screamed victory: "everyone thought that the direct quote was a wet firecracker but she boom!" Justice has prevailed since it renders the matter its full dimension.