´Air Cocaine passenger´ to prove innocence in Dominican court: AFP

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.-Frenchman Nicolas Pisapia, sentenced to 20 years in prison in DominicanRepublic for drug trafficking, said he anxiously expects a hearing in his appealto return "free and innocent" to France, rejecting to flee as the twoFrench pilots convicted in the same case, AFP reports.

In an apartment complexin the upscale Punta Cana resort region located around 200 km east of SantoDomingo, Pisapia, 40, denied in an interview with AFP being aware of the plansof the pilots Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos, who fled to France last weekend, despitea court-ordered travel ban from pending his appeal.

On the night of March19, 2013, at Punta Cana airport, Pisapia, the flight´s sole passenger was arrested alongwith the pilots and contractor Alain Castany, who is also in the DominicanRepublic, when antinarcotics agents seized 680 kilos of cocaine on board a Falcon50 executive jet about to take off for Saint-Tropez, France.

– Did you know theplans of the two pilots?

What happened I learnedit from the press and online.

– Why didn’t you leavewith them?

I am in Punta Cana(…). I have not had any relationship with them, I don’t know at all what hashappened, I have not been aware, I have been here in Punta Cana.

– What is yourrelationship with them?

No relationship becauseas I explained I have been here in Punta Cana, the lawyers are those whocommunicate with each other.

– Do you think that theescape of the two pilots affects your personal situation?

I have spoken withlawyers in France and Dominican Republic. I think not, because I have always appearedat the hearings in Santo Domingo, I’ve always appeared in Santo Domingo to signevery month to prove my presence.