EU Border Agency Chief Under Scrutiny for Human Rights Violations

Fabrice Leggeri, former head of the EU border agency Frontex, is being investigated by the Paris Court of Appeal over allegations of complicity in crimes against humanity. Prosecutors seek to lift his immunity as a European Parliament member. Rights groups accuse him of migrant mistreatment during his leadership.

The Paris Court of Appeal has initiated an investigation into Fabrice Leggeri, the former chief of the European Union's border agency, Frontex, concerning allegations of complicity in crimes against humanity, according to a judicial source.

Leggeri, who resigned in 2022 amid ongoing accusations of unlawful migrant treatment, now serves as a European lawmaker with France's National Rally party. He has consistently denied these claims and refrained from commenting on the court's recent decision.

Rights groups, including the French Human Rights League and Utopia 56, instigated the investigation's reopening, accusing Leggeri of enabling Frontex agents' cooperation with Libyan and Greek authorities in intercepting migrant vessels. The Paris court found sufficient grounds for a judicial probe after an initial dismissal of the complaints.

(With inputs from agencies.)