ALDAR/
A 75-year-old French businessman has been missing for more than five months in a mysterious incident that has raised significant questions about his fate. The man, who works in the import and export of hydraulic equipment, disappeared on October 7th of last year, after sending a message to his wife to reassure her before going to sleep. He had been dining alone at a restaurant in Algiers. Since then, there has been no news of him.
The incident has been enough to raise concerns with French authorities, prompting a judicial investigation by the public prosecutor’s office in Lyon, France, on charges of “kidnapping, abduction, or unlawful detention.” However, the investigation has made no tangible progress in the case, leaving the family in a state of frustration and helplessness.
According to local reports, investigations, which included a review of his personal background and an analysis of his financial transactions, ruled out the possibility of voluntary escape, confirming that he was a man very dedicated to his work and known for his humility and secrecy. The man was accustomed to traveling frequently to Algeria, where he had been dealing with business intermediaries for nearly twenty years, spending around fifteen days a month there. He had traveled the week he went missing to the Tebessa region of Algeria, where he had submitted a negative report regarding a hydropower station project and returned visibly anxious.
However, what complicates the case further is the absence of any financial demands or ransom, reducing the possibility of kidnapping for financial motives. French newspapers also pointed out that the man had been suffering from health issues requiring medical follow-up, which raises further concerns about his condition.
The main line of investigation seems to be focused on criminal activity, as it is believed that the man did not return to his room at the location where he was supposed to spend the night, a commercial establishment belonging to one of his partners in Algeria. His bank cards and Algerian phone were found at the same location, while his French phone remains missing. His rented car was also found under a bridge near a railway station and an oil facility in the suburbs of Algiers.
While his family, with the help of their lawyer, continues to search for him in both France and Algeria, they express their dissatisfaction with the “silence of the French authorities” regarding the case. His wife stated, “The case is dragging painfully, and it is speeding our descent into a pit of despair.” Meanwhile, it is noted that the case comes at a sensitive time, with tensions between France and Algeria running high, and no response has been received from Algeria to the French request for the issuance of an international legal warrant for the investigation.
Despite the challenges facing the investigation, the public prosecutor’s office in Lyon affirms that investigations under the supervision of an investigating judge are ongoing, which raises hope that answers about the fate of this missing man may emerge soon.
