France Fined Over Diana Death Case

25 October 2009

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A judge has issued a $7,500 (£5,000) fine after ruling that French officials were to blame for a series of mistakes and delays which marred the investigation into the death of late British royal, Diana, Princess Of Wales.

Diana died in a car crash in Paris, France in 1997 along with her loverDodi Fayed and chauffeur Henri Paul. The couple's bodyguard survived.

The five-year investigation into the tragedy found Paul, 41, was over the country's drink-drive limit and ruled the deaths accidental.

Subsequent re-testing delayed the investigation

However, in a subsequent examination by France's civil Court of Grand Instance, a judge found some aspects of the investigation "dysfunctional,"including a mix-up over Paul's post-mortem and blood tests which delayedthe inquiry for two years.

The judge criticised French authorities for failing to respond quickly enough to a complaint by Fayed's father Mohamed Al-Fayed, who alleged Paul's blood tests had been forged to make him appear drunk behind the wheel.

Subsequent re-testing delayed the investigation.

The French judge maintained that although "formal mistakes" had been made, they "had no long-term repercussions on the revealing of the truth".

The court ordered the state of France to pay $7,500 (£5,000) in damages to Al-Fayed.

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