A panel of five judges from Mexico’s top court on Wednesday rejected the release of French woman Florence Cassez, sentenced to 60 years for kidnapping, but decided to further study her appeal.
Supreme Court justice Arturo Zaldivar had recommended Cassez’s release due to irregularities in trial proceedings, after a long legal battle which has strained diplomatic relations and divided opinion in a country where kidnapping is rife.
Five Supreme Court justices ruled Wednesday 3-2 against granting Cassez immediate freedom but four also said that there were violations to her rights.
“I’d have liked to see her release but I think we have a great victory,” said Cassez’s lawyer Agustin Acosta afterwards.
The decision “opens the debate to discuss the irregularities (in the case) of Florence Cassez,” Acosta said.
A court official later told AFP said that Justice Olga Sanchez, who voted Wednesday in favor of Cassez’s release, would make a new recommendation to the five-member panel, without giving a timeframe. (AFP)
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