Paris:
The trial of a guitar teacher accused of flying in a gang of Georgian hitmen to kill his physiotherapist begins in France on Monday. The musician has accused the Parisian practitioner of causing him debilitating neck pain but denies ever trying to kill him.
The physiotherapist was crossing the road to work in 2019 when a car accelerated and ran him over before speeding away.
He survived with a bruise to his foot and trauma to his leg and told investigators he suspected the involvement of a former patient who harbored a grudge against him.
The physiotherapist's brief had ordered him to pay his ex-client 30,000 euros (almost $32,000) in damages.
But through telephone taps, investigators discovered that the client was still seeking revenge.
They discovered that the man's partner and her father, both Georgians, had helped recruit hitmen from the Caucasus country to take out the physiotherapist.
In 2018, the music teacher paid an initial gang 2,000 euros ($2,130), but the mission was never completed.
His girlfriend then allegedly found a new team, including three men who flew from Georgia to run over their target and then left the country.
The guitar teacher was reportedly planning to break into the therapist's home when police arrested him.
French authorities have ordered ten people to stand trial in the case, but three are in Georgia and one died in detention in February.
The guitar teacher must appear in court together with four other men and a woman in the case that runs until May 10.
Most of them have been accused of plotting a gangland murder, while one of them – a friend – is accused of not reporting the crime.
Contacted by AFP, the guitar teacher's defense team declined to comment.
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