Jean Messiha has returned the 42,000 euros from a crowdfunding campaign meant for the widows of two prison officers killed during Mohamed Amra's 2024 escape. His lawyers cite a lack of fraudulent intent.
Jean Messiha returned the full funds to the complainants on Thursday, according to his lawyers. Me Gérald Pandelon told AFP that the 42,000 euros had been repaid and that no intentional or material element was linked to the alleged breach of trust offense.
The widows' lawyers expressed regret over the delay. Me Matthieu Chirez noted that the restitution only occurred after criminal charges were filed and the case received media attention. Me Pauline Ragot stressed that the facts remained established and were now in the hands of the judicial authority.
Complaints for breach of trust were filed on May 21 in Paris by Sandrine Le Hay Moello and Mary Garcia. Jean Messiha had initially attributed the error to internal failures at the GoFundMe platform.
