Three days after his release, Hassan Hayek apologized to the gendarmerie and judicial authorities. He did so through a lengthy post on his page this Monday, December 4, 2023.
Arrested a few days ago, Hassan Hayek, the head of the Bénévole de Premier Secours (BPS) platform, was released on Friday, December 1, 2023. A few days after his release, the Lebanese-Ivorian influencer explained the circumstances of the video’s release, but also took the opportunity to apologize to the gendarmerie and judicial authorities. He did so on Monday, December 4, 2023, through a lengthy post on his Facebook page.
“To my homeland, to my beloved country, to our authorities, and to all the sons and daughters of the land! Your son, as I am, comes this morning, kneeling before you, to offer my apologies. I have made a mistake, but I was betrayed. This video that you all saw was filmed by me from my vehicle but was never shared on social media! This video was shared in my private WhatsApp group, consisting of people who were supposed to be friends from my community with whom we joke around, unfortunately, it was forwarded. I will not draw any malicious conclusions about the cause of its transfer, and I hold no grudges against anyone!” he explained.
He went on to state that he takes full responsibility for the incident. “I only blame myself for having a moment of lapse and for having trust! I stand here before you today with an inexplicable sense of shame. I have never dared to disrespect my homeland, and I will never do so because Côte d’Ivoire is the most precious thing I have! Unfortunately, I cannot rejoice in anything at all because I also caused trouble for a gendarmerie officer who did not ask for it. I do not want to dwell on the details of certain things, but I simply want you to join me in apologizing for this officer. It is with deep regret that I apologize to you for my disrespectful behavior towards the national gendarmerie and especially towards Côte d’Ivoire. I am fully aware that I have acted wrongly, and I sincerely apologize. I apologize to all the authorities, to the entire gendarmerie, to the Prosecutor of the Republic, and to all the brothers and sisters of my beloved homeland of Côte d’Ivoire,” he concluded.
As a reminder, a few days ago, a video was posted online showing the Ivorian-Lebanese influencer being escorted by an Ivorian marshal to navigate through traffic. The gendarmerie authorities took up the case and summoned Hassan Hayek for questioning.
Having been disrespectful to the gendarmes, the charity wanderer was placed in custody. He was then presented before the Prosecutor of the Republic on Friday, December 1, 2023. Fortunately, he was released thanks to the intervention of Serey Dié.
