Death of Yvan Colonna: the suspect speaks of a sponsored act and announces a “big reveal at the trial”

Franck Elong Abé, suspect in the death of Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna, went back on his initial version and made serious accusations before announcing a “big reveal at the trial”.

Yvan Colonna died on March 21, 2022, a few weeks after being strangled in the sports hall of the Arles central house. The Corsican nationalist was at that time serving a life sentence for the assassination of prefect Claude Erignac on February 6, 1998 in Ajaccio. Among those accused of the attack on Yvan Colonna is Franck Elong Abé. He was indicted and in pre-trial detention for this assassination in connection with a terrorist enterprise.

In a letter addressed to the anti-terrorism investigating judge, which France Bleu RCFM was able to consult, he returned to his initial version in which he had indicated that he had killed the activist because of "blasphemy" against the Prophet Mohammed. He also claimed to have “acted alone”. Now he has a completely different speech. He claims to have been “tricked by false promises against a large sum of money” and more precisely “100,000 euros per year of prison”. It thus evokes an act sponsored by individuals who presented themselves under a false identity. He finally clearly accused the State services and the General Directorate of Internal Security of being behind this manipulation aimed at the assassination of Yvan Colonna: “You used me to eliminate Yvan. To then bury me alive. Bravo DGSI. Bravo state services.”

He then allegedly promised the judge to “give all the details of the story” during a “big reveal at the trial”. His new statements are taken into account in the file, confirmed a judicial source, but a verification is still awaited. Me Dominique Paolini, lawyer for Yvan Colonna's brother and his parents, considered that it was necessary to take his new elements "with caution, but nevertheless with interest".

A source close to the case also highlighted the “alteration of discernment” diagnosed in Franck Elong Abé by psychiatry experts. Camille Chaize, spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas Territories, for her part assured that "these allegations are completely false. The services of the Ministry of the Interior do not sponsor assassinations or attacks against anybody".