The essential facts of the matter (january 09 2008)
Sophie Toscan du Plantier, born Bouniol, was savagely murdered on the night of December 22nd - 23rd 1996 at Dunmanus West, Goleen, co. Cork, Ireland.
It was Christmas period. Sophie's body has been left lying on the lane, under a kind of tarp, for more than thirty hours before the State Pathologist arrived from Dublin to proceed to forensic examination. The time of the death was not precisely determined.
The crime took place in Ireland. The inquest and the criminal investigations have been conducted according to the Irish law.
A suspect was arrested and interrogated twice. There has been so far no resulting prosecution.
For 12 years, Sophie's family has been denied access to the criminal investigation files in Ireland. In France, accessing to such files is a legal right for civil plaintiffs.
The police co-operation between France and Ireland has revealed itself negligible, let alone non-existent. Several international formal requests (''commissions rogatoires") sent by French magistrates have been refused or barred by Ireland. Apparently, the Irish police has been refused to proceed to a criminal investigation in France. For 12 years, the truth has not been known and the murder has remained unpunished.
The friends and relatives of Sophie Toscan du Plantier have recently established an association to support her parents, Marguerite and Georges Bouniol, in their quest for justice.
The primary objective of the association is that the truth be known and that justice be done :
We demand that the truth on the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier be established.
L’association a pour objectif de faire valoir les droits de Sophie Toscan du Plantier en France comme en Irlande.
The second objective of the association is to make the rights of Sophie Toscan du Plantier be acknowledged in France as well as in Ireland
We demand that the rights of the Sophie's family be fully acknowledged and respected in the search for the truth and in the judicial procedures in Ireland as well as in France.
Since the Irish Criminal Justice System proves to be opposed in the Sophie's case to basic principles of justice owed to the family, we demand that Sophie's family benefits from guaranties at least equal to those afforded by the French Criminal Justice System and that it be informed about all essential elements of the inquest and the criminal investigations.
The third objective of the association is to urge the judicial authorities to resume the criminal investigations and to reach a satisfying issue.
We demand the effective collaboration of the French and the Irish Criminal Justice authorities in the criminal investigations concerning the murder of Sophie.
We demand the concerned French authorities provide us with written statements about the discontinuities and possible negligence by the relevant jurisdictions in dealing with the Sophie's case.
We demand that the contradictions between the French and Irish jurisdictions be not in any circumstance a deterrent for the judicial inquiry development.
We demand the commitment of the concerned countries and the European Union in the use of all possible resources for successfully ending the investigations and bringing justice.
The association will make use of all legal means that are available in France as well as in Ireland and on an international level in order to achieve its objectives. It will collect all competencies, ideas and contributions from all people who wish to help in the achievements of its objectives. The association will seek the aid of other associations sharing similar objectives. The association will act the best it can do in its help to such organisations
We appeal to Irish citizens who sympathise with our objectives and are scandalised by this denial of justice to contact us at : assoph0793@orange.fr
This founding document dates back from January 2008. Since that date some of our goals have been achieved either by its own actions or by the French or Irish judicial.
