The highly anticipated trial concerning the murder of stockbroker Diamondra Herivelo Razanadraininarison, known as "Ledada," 59, has reached its verdict in the Ordinary Criminal Court. Of the 21 people accused of involvement in his death and other related crimes, five were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor .

The sole defendant, who was tried in absentia, received a sentence of twenty years' hard labor. However, the majority of the defendants were acquitted due to reasonable doubt , prompting scenes of joy and relief among their families at the courthouse.

Facts and Accusations

The trial, which took place from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., concerned three separate cases, all attributed to the same criminal group:

1. The murder of Diamondra Herivelo at her home in Analakely on January 31, 2025.
2. The assassination of a Cash Point operator (tracked from Andohalo).
3. A robbery targeting a company courier in Ampasamadinika.

The charges included conspiracy, armed robbery, receiving stolen goods, premeditated murder, and complicity. All the defendants denied any involvement in the crimes.

The Condemned: Secondary Roles

The central element of the trial lay in the fact that none of the main perpetrators of Ledada's murder were among the twenty defendants . The civil party's lawyer reminded the court that the seven criminals who had attacked his client – five of whom had subdued him – had either been killed during police operations or were still at large.

The defendants on trial, among whom were three women, motorcycle taxi drivers, a nurse, the partner of the slain gang leader, and gold collectors, were being prosecuted for supporting or complicit roles.

1. The nurse was notably accused of having treated at her home a bandit injured during the Ledada attack, who was later shot dead by the police.
2. The Court was particularly interested in the motorcycle taxi drivers who transported the criminals to and from the crime scene, who claimed to have acted without knowledge of the crimes committed.

The arrests were the result of intelligence, CCTV footage and telephone requisitions.

Damages and Interest

Only the lawyer for Diamondra Herivelo's family was present among the civil parties, making the stockbroker's murder the focus of the proceedings. Initially sought at one hundred million ariary, the damages were set by the Court at eighty million ariary , an amount that the convicted parties will have to pay jointly and severally.