Trial of Adrien Duval Postponed to October 3

The trial of Adrien Duval, speaker of the National Assembly, has been postponed to October 3. Duval is facing charges after he refused to undergo a breathalyzer test and provide blood and urine samples following a car accident in Ébène in September 2022.

The hearing was scheduled to take place yesterday at the Rose-Hill Court; however, it did not proceed due to the absence of Duval’s lawyer, Me Jacques Panglose, who requested the postponement because he was unavailable on that date.

Consequently, the case has been rescheduled. Meanwhile, Adrien Duval is currently in China.

Neither party was present in court yesterday. Duval, who had recently been on an official trip to India from August 16 to August 18, opted to travel to the People’s Republic of China rather than return to Mauritius.

He is attending an interregional seminar on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments in developing countries, which has been taking place since August 19.

This seminar is organized in collaboration with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the National People’s Congress of China.

According to the IPU’s website, this seminar provides an opportunity for select parliaments in developing nations to explore ways to expedite the implementation of the SDGs through parliamentary cooperation.

The seminar will also commemorate the 40th anniversary of the affiliation of the National People’s Congress with the IPU and includes planned visits to several provinces in China.

Reports indicate that Duval met with Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday, though it remains unclear how long he will stay in China.

Adrien Duval is facing four charges in connection with the 2022 accident.

In addition to refusing to submit to a breathalyzer and urinalysis, he is accused of causing involuntary injuries to the driver of the other vehicle due to reckless driving, refusing to provide a breath sample, and operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration exceeding the legal limit.

Duval has expressed concerns about his ability to receive a fair trial. He asserts that he has yet to receive ten crucial documents from the prosecution, including the accident report and photographs taken at the scene.

In light of these issues, Me Panglose filed a motion to halt the proceedings, citing his client’s right to a full and fair defense.

These discussions were meant to occur at yesterday’s hearing, which has now been postponed to October 3.

Source: l’Express