French fugitives often hide out in Morocco, Algeria and Israel

Morocco, Algeria and Israel are the main destinations for French fugitives seeking to evade justice at home, according to an internal memo reviewed by BFMTV. The figures are based on an analysis of active Interpol red notices.

Prepared by France’s National Fugitive Search Brigade (BNRF), the memo excludes individuals wanted for terrorism-related offences, who fall under the remit of other services.

According to BFMTV, investigators examined international location and arrest requests, as French-issued red notices often identify a country where the wanted person is believed to be hiding. Morocco tops the list with an estimated 218 French fugitives, followed by Algeria with 124 and Israel with 87. Tunisia ranks next with 59, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 48, Turkey, the United Kingdom with 34 and the United States with 20.

The nature of the alleged offences varies by destination. In Israel, 91% of wanted French nationals are implicated in financial crimes, while 49% of those believed to be in Morocco are wanted for drug trafficking.

Those thought to be hiding in Tunisia and Algeria are more commonly wanted for «ordinary criminal offences and violence against individuals unrelated to organized crime», accounting for 47% and 41% respectively. These cases include «domestic and family violence, child abduction, rape and other sexual offences».

In the United Arab Emirates, 38% of the fugitives are linked to financial offences, 33% to drug-related cases, 25% to organized crime unrelated to drugs and 4% to ordinary criminal offences.