LANGKAWI – A group of French expatriates here are appealing to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and French President Emmanuel Macron to seek the release of fellow countryman Leonie Bardet de Lestang, who is six months pregnant and currently in custody in Malaysia.
The group’s representative, Amor Adjal, said the appeal letters were recently emailed to the leaders.
Adjal added that Bardet, 42, has a history of labour complications, and the group members are concerned that she has been incarcerated in an unsuitable environment as Covid-19 spreads easily in confined spaces.
Bardet is the live-in companion of Rémy Daillet-Wiedemann, who is wanted for allegedly influencing people to kidnap an 8-year-old girl in France.
Adjal has also sought help from Langkawi MP and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the detention of Bardet.
“We are terrified that something may befall Bardet as she is in a fragile state.”
The Vibes had on June 8 reported that Bardet and her three children, aged 1, 9 and 17, have been detained at the Belantik Immigration Depot in Sik, Kedah, since last week.
An Immigration Department spokesman confirmed that all four individuals are being detained for allegedly overstaying in Malaysia.
However, the lead agency in this case is the police force, who nabbed the couple and children at their house in Langkawi, with help from Interpol.
A French magistrate had, with support from Interpol, issued an international arrest warrant for Daillet-Wiedemann.
Daillet-Wiedemann has reportedly been illegally living on the island for several years.
He was purportedly a politician who left France after getting frustrated with the situation back home and has since been living in Langkawi, where he has set up base to spin conspiracy theories about the world, especially France.
He has also rejected the Covid-19 vaccine, claimed the pandemic may be a plot for changing the world order, advised against the usage of 5G and face masks as they are harmful, and invested in a plastic recycling business on the island.
The Frenchman had reportedly refused to undergo a Covid-19 test, delaying plans by police to hand him over to immigration, but he has since agreed to be screened.
The couple are said to be amiable and have formed many friendships, especially among the yachting community, in Langkawi.
While he appears normal in society, Daillet-Wiedemann is said to have a different personality online: a keyboard warrior who spins conspiracy theories and champions leftist ideologies, including overthrowing the present government in France.
A French diplomatic source told The Vibes that the country is looking to deport the family due to the kidnapping investigation.
“It is a matter of national security, so the information is limited,” said the source. – The Vibes, June 10, 2021
