Paris investigating judges ordered a general dismissal of charges in favor of independence leader Christian Tein and CCAT militants, two years after the 2024 riots in New Caledonia. The Paris prosecution immediately appealed the ruling.
In spring 2024, New Caledonia experienced riots that killed 14 people and caused more than two billion euros in damage, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to declare a state of emergency. The judicial investigation into the Cellule de coordination des actions de terrain was transferred to Paris in January 2025, resulting in fourteen people being charged, including Christian Tein, 58, and president of the FLNKS. The judges rejected insurrection accusations, finding that the independence claim did not aim to endanger the institutions of the Republic. They concluded there were insufficient charges against those under investigation. The prosecution announced it filed an appeal to allow additional investigations, with requisitions scheduled for July. Tein's lawyers welcomed the decision as confirmation of his total innocence after nearly a year in pretrial detention. In New Caledonia, the FLNKS reacted with humility while Sonia Backes denounced a judicial system that has gone mad. Deputy Nicolas Metzdorf welcomed the prosecution's appeal.
