Overview
- Prosecutor General Franck Rastoul said the case will be heard October 19 to November 6, 2026, as a priority session for organized crime.
- The charges relate to the late-2020 killing of Brahim Chabane, the older brother of Amine Kessaci, who died alongside two other young men in Les Pennes-Mirabeau.
- Five defendants are slated for trial, including alleged mastermind Karim Harrat, 37, extradited from Morocco in early 2023 and described as a figure in narcotics-linked crime.
- Investigators view the November 13, 2025 shooting of Mehdi Kessaci in Marseille as a potential warning to Amine, and the Paris prosecutor has pointed to the upper tier of organized crime as the likely source.
- Rastoul has warned of a heavy backlog of organized-crime cases causing lengthy delays, which he said justifies the priority scheduling.