A special appeals court in Paris on Wednesday rejected a request to reconstruct the crime scene submitted by the defence for Yvan Colonna, who was convicted of the 1998 murder of the prefect of Corsica and sentenced to life in prison in 2007.

 
The magistrates ruled that there were not sufficient “new elements” to justify a return to Ajaccio, where the murder of Claude Erignac took place.

 
Following the court’s decision, Colonna, who maintains his innocence, announced that he would end the appeals process and dismiss his lawyers.

 
Colonna had argued that the reconstruction of the circumstances of the crime was important to “invalidate” the claims of prosecutors.

 
A statement from the public prosecutor’s office said he would demand that the appeals process continues.

 
Appeals can, in rare instances, be pursued in the absence of both the accused and his defence team.