Vezilier is an employee of France’s Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE), the country’s foreign intelligence service. He was also serving at the French Embassy in Mali as its second counsellor, with diplomatic status.
On August 13, 2025, while in Bamako, Vezilier was arrested by armed, masked men who were later identified as members of Mali’s intelligence service. Ten senior Malian military officers, including two generals, were also arrested at the time.
Following his arrest, France suspended its counterterrorism cooperation with Mali and expelled two Malian diplomats, saying Vezilier had been wrongly accused.
Before his trial began, Vezilier was visited by a foreign dignitary whose identity was not disclosed by French media. His superiors also selected a lawyer for him from the Malian Bar Association.
The French national was tried behind closed doors by a chamber of the Bamako court responsible for terrorism-related cases.
The Malian government accused him of working for French intelligence and allegedly encouraging politicians and military officers to overthrow President Goïta.
France’s Foreign Ministry repeatedly denied the allegations, describing them as “baseless” and maintaining that Vezilier was carrying out his normal duties as a security adviser at the embassy.
On June 5, 2026, a Bamako court convicted Vezilier of the charges and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. The French government condemned the ruling and reiterated that he was innocent.
In a statement posted on Facebook by the Malian government on August 13, it explained that Vezilier’s pardon does not overturn the court’s decision issued in June.
“The act of pardon, which does not overturn the court’s decision following proceedings that respected all the rights of the defence, is accompanied by the immediate expulsion of the individual from the country,” the statement said.
The French government has not yet commented on the decision. However, the pardon represents a significant step by Mali at a time when relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply since President Goïta came to power in 2021.
