Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
French authorities have been accused of “covering up” what really happened to Princess Diana after it was revealed a secret file detailing the circumstances surrounding her death will stay locked away until at least 2082.
The dossier — which is reportedly made up of more than 6000 documents and said to stand at one meter in height — was completed by French police in 2007 following an 18-month investigation into the fatal 1997 crash.
The crash killed Diana, her rumoured lover and son of Harrod’s boss, Dodi Al Fayed and the chauffeur, Henri Paul.
It is understood that the file — compiled by 30 police officers — is made up of thousands of pages of evidence, including around 200 witness statements, toxicology reports, previously unseen crash-scene photographs and interviews from one of the largest legal investigations in modern French history.
Guarded by heavily armed officers, the file is said to be stored in the basement archives of the Palais de Justice, at taxpayers’ expense.
Under French law, files can be blocked from being accessed by the public for at least 75 years, which would mean authorities can lawfully keep the documents sealed until 2082 at the very earliest — almost a century on from the beloved royal’s unexpected death.
Following requests by the media, a spokesman for the Palais de Justice confirmed the existence of the dossier to Radar Online.
“The investigation file is placed in the archives of the Paris Court of Appeal. In application of article L213-2 of the heritage code, it cannot be consulted before the expiration of a period of 75 years,” a spokesman told the publication.
They added: “There is no online version of this archive.”
A source who reportedly viewed part of the dossier in Paris also told Radar Online they believe keeping the files locked up is part of a cover-up.
“This secrecy stinks of a cover-up and conspiracy at the highest level,” they said.
Another source familiar with the archives said everyone involved in the investigation will be dead by the time the “truth” comes out.
“Sealing the documents until long after everyone involved is gone only deepens the sense that the full truth is being pushed out of reach – and many believe these files contain the definitive truth about the circumstances of Diana’s death.”
In 2007, French authorities claimed the entire dossier had been lost just weeks before an inquest into the royal’s death was opened in Britain — a probe which ultimately concluded the princess and Al Fayed had been unlawfully killed due to grossly negligent driving by paparazzi who were chasing them and their chauffeur who was attempting to get away from the cameras.
The Princess’ bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, narrowly survived but suffered catastrophic injuries.
With the 30th anniversary of Diana’s fatal crash in Paris’s Pont de l’Alma tunnel approaching next year, critics suggest that the decision to hide the file until the 2080s risks fuelling suspicion about what happened that fateful night.
