A person who had been detained since March 10 on probable cause suspicion of using a false document, an aggravated crime, has been released. The prosecutor has lifted the detention and dropped the suspicion against the individual, according to official sources. The captain has been released, multiple reports indicate.
The suspect claimed he was unaware that the documents were false. Senior prosecutor Adrien Combier-Hogg said in a press release that after extensive investigative measures, it was his assessment that the objection could not be disproven, leading to the lifting of detention and dropping of suspicion.
The investigation will now focus on creating a basis for a so-called special action in court regarding forfeiture of the false documents, an official said. The prosecutor is not available to the media, according to the same source.
Some of the ship's documents were false, including documents certifying that the ship is flagged in Guinea, major media reported. The captain is Russian, according to those reports. The identity of the detained person has not been disclosed, and it remains unclear what specific documents were false or what ship was involved and its cargo or purpose. The reasons for the initial detention beyond the document suspicion are also unknown. Further investigation regarding the false documents may still be conducted.