Overview
- The trial, which opened on Monday, October 19, 2026, pits five defendants accused in a 2020 triple homicide against the specially composed cour d’assises sitting in Aix‑en‑Provence and is expected to run until November 6.
- Prosecutors allege the killings were linked to rivalries in Marseille’s drug trade and that some of the accused are members of the city’s narcotrafic milieu.
- Three victims were found carbonized in 2020, including Brahim Chabane who is the half‑brother of Amine Kessaci and had already survived earlier assassination attempts according to reporting.
- The trial is being heard by a court made up only of professional magistrates, a measure taken because of the case’s ties to organized crime and concerns about pressure on citizen jurors.
- Beyond the criminal charges, the proceedings carry political weight because Kessaci has become a public anti‑narcotrafic figure and the verdict could affect public confidence and law‑enforcement strategy in Marseille.