Overview
- Ouaihid Ben Faïza, 52, left the Vendin‑le‑Vieil high‑security unit on Monday morning for an employer meeting near Lyon and returned by 21:00 with no incidents, according to the Justice Ministry.
- The leave was granted by a Béthune sentence‑application judge despite negative opinions from the prison governor and the Béthune prosecutor, then confirmed by the Douai appeals chamber on November 21.
- The outing, tied to a reintegration project, proceeded without a penitentiary escort; his wife accompanied him and intelligence services and local police discreetly monitored the trip by TGV.
- Prison unions UFAP‑UNSa Justice and FO denounced the authorization as disconnected from the QLCO’s high‑security goals, citing Ben Faïza’s 2014 escape and the risks posed by organized‑crime figures.
- Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said the case shows the need to revise sentence‑application rules for organized crime and announced plans for a specific legal regime and a specialized judge in a bill early next year.