The body of Philippine, a 19-year-old woman, was discovered on September 21, buried in the Bois de Boulogne, west of Paris. The discovery sent shockwaves through French society and attracted considerable media attention
Arrest and refusal of extradition…
The main suspect in the murder, 22-year-old Moroccan Taha O., was arrested in Switzerland. According to an announcement made on October 16 by the Swiss Federal Ministry of Justice, he has refused to consent to his extradition to France. A spokeswoman for the Federal Office of Justice confirmed this information to AFP, stressing that “the person being prosecuted has not consented to a simplified extradition.”
The suspect is accused of raping and killing Philippine. His body was discovered in a deplorable state, which shocked public opinion. Taha O. was arrested at Geneva’s main railway station on September 24, a few days after the body was discovered.
Legal proceedings underway
France filed an extradition request on October 9. The Swiss Ministry of Justice has the option of following the suspect’s wishes or requesting his extradition. In the latter case, Taha O. can appeal to the Federal Court, Switzerland’s highest legal authority. Pending the outcome of the extradition procedure, he will remain in detention. According to the Ministry, “ordinary proceedings can take more than a year, particularly in complex cases and if all avenues of redress have been exhausted”.
Previous convictions
Taha O. had already been convicted of rape in 2021. Released in June 2024, he was placed in an administrative detention center in Metz. On his release, he was placed under house arrest in a hotel in the Yonne region, where he never turned up. Having failed to comply with his obligation to sign in, he was registered on the wanted list the day before the murder, on September 19.
This situation provoked strong reactions, particularly from the far right. The French Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, also called for a review of the laws governing the handling of sexual assault suspects.
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