Lawyer Pascal Garbarini has been indicted for “criminal association” in the financial investigation into the Corsican criminal gang “Petit Bar”.
Pascal Garbarini, in particular lawyer for the alleged leader of the Corsican criminal gang “Petit Bar”, has been indicted for “criminal association” in the financial investigation of this criminal group, we learned from the prosecution on Wednesday. from Marseille.
Me Garbarini was also placed under the status of assisted witness for “money laundering”, the public prosecutor of Marseille, Dominique Laurens, told AFP, confirming information from the daily Le Monde.
This renowned criminal lawyer in Corsican cases, who defended several alleged members of the “Petit Bar” but also Yvan Colonna at the trial for the assassination of the prefect Claude Erignac, was placed under judicial supervision with the obligation to pay bail and a ban to get in touch with the other members of the file, told AFP the specialized interregional jurisdiction (JIRS) of Marseille in charge of investigations concerning the criminal gang.
He had been summoned in mid-May to the Ajaccio gendarmerie where he had been placed in police custody as part of the financial investigation into this criminal group, then indicated sources familiar with the matter.
Me Garbarini is notably the lawyer for Jacques Santoni, the alleged leader of the “Petit Bar” who was indicted in January 2021, in particular for extortion in an organized gang, aggravated money laundering and association of criminals, in this vast financial investigation.
Acts committed in France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, Luxembourg
Investigators were trying to find out if the role played by Pascal Garbarini with his clients was limited to that of their defense lawyer or if he could have been their accomplice, these sources said.
“Cash handling, numerous international financial movements and suspicious real estate investments” were highlighted in this investigation, the Marseille prosecutor had indicated in mid-January 2021, during a first series of indictments.
In April 2021, people involved in money laundering operations “via bank transfers in China” were indicted, announced the Marseille prosecutor’s office, for acts committed in France, but also in Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland. , Luxembourg and Panama.
These embezzlements relate to “48 million euros of offshore and real estate investments”, according to Le Monde.
Pascal Garbarini had already been placed in police custody as part of an investigation targeting this band in October 2013 in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) without any prosecution having been retained.
