Two years after the death of his wife in Anjomakely, Bongatsara, a French man tried by the Criminal Court has been acquitted due to lack of evidence.
A sexagenarian French national, prosecuted for the alleged murder of his Malagasy wife, was acquitted yesterday by the ordinary Criminal Court following a hearing held in Room 4 of the Anosy court. The incident dates back to August 10, 2024, in Anjomakely, in the commune of Bongatsara, where the 31-year-old woman was found dead in their home.
During the trial, the accused, dressed in a black sweater and jeans, denied any involvement. He explained that a burglary had occurred that evening and that he had discovered his wife, injured and inert, on the sofa. He claimed to have then alerted the neighbors and the head of the fokontany. According to his statements, his wife suffered from health problems and he did not know the exact cause of her death.
Three witnesses were in the file, including the head of the fokontany and two neighbors, but none of them were present at the hearing. All had stated that they had never observed any violence or major conflicts within the couple, who had been civilly married since 2013. The autopsy report noted a wound on the thigh, without, however, specifying the cause of death.
The public prosecutor’s office, represented by the advocate general, acknowledged the uncertainties surrounding the facts and left it to the Court’s discretion. For its part, the defense emphasized the lack of direct evidence linking the accused to his wife’s death. The Court finally pronounced his acquittal.
Upon leaving the hearing, the Frenchman, visibly moved, was embraced by two women who had come to support him.
However, the initial report from the Andoharanofotsy gendarmerie indicated serious suspicions: “On the evening of the tragedy, law enforcement found the man in a state of intoxication, while he was disturbing the neighborhood. He had stated that his wife was injured, but the gendarmes discovered the young woman’s lifeless body, which had a wound on the thigh, likely caused by a bladed weapon, and was bathed in blood.”
As only the two spouses were in the house, suspicions fell on the husband. Placed in preventive detention at Tsiafahy, he was finally released after nearly two years of proceedings due to insufficient evidence.
Captured & Published at: 2026-07-15 06:12:15 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/07/meurtre-anjomakely-la-cour-criminelle.html