LuxLeaks Trial:
Heartening rally on the opening day!
A great deal of emotion for the opening of the LuxLeaks trial: an event awaited for many months now! Emotion was even stronger when Antoine arrived at the Court of Luxembourg, with his two lawyers and surrounded by numerous reporters and cameramen! Supports to the whistleblower Antoine Deltour and to the journalist Edouard Perrin came in number: Antoine's Support Committee, Luxembourg's Solidarity Committee and the associations which are part of the Platform against tax heavens, Anticor, as well personalities such as German MEP Fabio De Masi and French journalist Denis Robert. In total, more than a hundred persons with banners and placards, chanting: “Thank you Antoine, Thank you Antoine!”. Antoine replied with a big smile and a thumb up in sign of gratitude.
The trial started after the cameras left the courtroom. The three defendants were notified the facts they were accused of. Then, most of the morning audience was devoted to the detailed testimony of a PriceWaterhouseCoopers' representative in charge of the internal investigation that has allowed the three accused people to be identified in the company. As concerns Antoine, the judge and the lawyers' discussions focused on technical aspects about a possible premeditation of the facts he is charged with. The witness, a representative of PwC, recognized in particular that “the documents were easily accessible” due to a bug in the internal computer network and that it was possible that “these documents could be reached by chance”. At the end of the hearing, Antoine’s lawyers indicated their satisfaction with this first half-day of trial.
When Antoine went out of the court, the atmosphere was once again warm and enthusiastic, with applause towards the accused ones and songs calling for their release!
Let's meet again for the second hearing this Thursday, April 27 from 15h onward.
Press coverage
- Luxemburger Wort – Whistleblowers in the dock in Luxembourg
- Luxemburger Wort – What happened on the first day of the LuxLeaks trial
- Luxemburger Wort – Première journée devant les juges pour Antoine Deltour (in French)
- Luxemburger Wort – « Merci Antoine ! » (in French)
- Le Quotidien – LuxLeaks : le soutien public comme meilleure défense (in French)
- Le Quotidien – Denis Robert : « C’est le procès du Luxembourg qui devrait avoir lieu » (in French)
- Le Quotidien – LuxLeaks : « Ce procès dépasse le simple vol de données sur une clé USB » (in French)
- Le Quotidien – LuxLeaks : la France se dit « solidaire » avec Deltour (in French)
- Le Quotidien – Procès LuxLeaks : une 1ère journée d’effervescence (in French)
- Le Quotidien – Procès LuxLeaks (1er jour) : « Oui, les documents étaient faciles d’accès » (in French)
- Le Monde – Au procès LuxLeaks, les lanceurs d’alerte et les failles des serveurs protégés de PwC (in French)
- Libération – Le procès Luxleaks entre débat étymologique et dialogue de sourds (in French)