French prosecutors are seeking a €10,000 fine against businessman Paddy McKillen, who has been accused of being physically and verbally aggressive to a bailiff at a luxury Paris apartment.
The Belfast-born property investor is also facing a potential eight-month suspended sentence being sought by prosecutors over his alleged behaviour towards the bailiff at one of his two apartments at the prestigious Place Vendôme in central Paris on June 25th, 2024. He denies any wrongdoing.
Bailiff Anna Cohen-Bacri told a French correctional court that she was at the property to carry out instructions issued by magistrates and felt frightened and intimidated when Mr McKillen showed up and tried to gain access to the €30 million apartment.
The court was told that the case was linked to a wider dispute with the Qatari royal family over the non-payment of a loan to the Luxembourg-based Quintet Private Bank.
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Businessman Paddy McKillen ‘became aggressive’ with bailiff at luxury €30m Paris apartment, French court hears
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“I was only there to do my job,” she said. “Mr McKillen knew that a bailiff was present, but he became extremely aggressive. He tried to stop me doing my job, and was physically and verbally violent.
“I’m very small, and I was scared,” she told the tribunal. “He put his hand up menacingly, and started swearing at me. He was insulting me the whole time, and became violent.”
She said she felt she had no choice but to call the police.
The 33-year-old, who is pregnant with her first child, claimed that Mr McKillen had used the term “f**king bailiff” and repeatedly called her an “idiot”.
But the businessman’s defence barrister, Jean-Marc Fédida, argued that his client had used the term “f**k” in exasperation rather than as a direct insult to the bailiff.
He denied that Mr McKillen had acted aggressively and said he was not a dangerous man, and had not behaved violently at any time during the encounter.
Marine Ruta, a lawyer representing Ms Cohen-Bacri, said her client had cut short a holiday to South Africa in order to be present in court and had no reason to lie about what had happened.
“She was continually aggressed and violently pushed aside. She is not in this for financial gain, but brought the case to help protect other public officials carrying out their duties,” the lawyer said.
Mr McKillen’s defence barrister said the 70-year-old had been “shocked and surprised” to find that a bailiff and three others, including a locksmith, had entered his apartment after he arrived in Paris from a business trip to Japan.
He said he didn’t speak French very well, despite spending significant time in the country, and hadn’t understood what was happening. He said the bailiff had not shown any identification and said he was blocked when he tried to enter the apartment.
The barrister described the Belfast businessman and property investor as an “honourable man who had been on a 14-hour flight, and was naturally upset to find four people inside his flat.
“He asserted his legal right [to enter the property] and called me straight away.”
Mr McKillen was not present for the hearing, prompting criticism from the prosecution.
Lawyers expressed frustration at his failure to appear in court, or to provide justification for his absence. His legal team said Mr McKillen was on a business trip to Vietnam.
Mr Fédida said his client had “absolutely wanted to be in court”, but claimed that the prosecution had not yet delivered “the criminal file” to the defence.
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He asked the court to adjourn the proceedings, saying that to continue the trial without those documents would be an “injustice”.
Judge Fanny Huboux said being in Vietnam was not a valid reason to be absent from court. She refused the request for an adjournment and said she would deliver her verdict on March 12th.
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