In the remote village of Antatadratsy, in the Isandra District of Upper Matsiatra, popular outrage shattered the peace, leaving in its wake destroyed lives and a corrupt judicial system exposed to public scrutiny. After 660 days of fear and mourning, the case ended with the loss of parliamentary immunity for the former MP elected in Vohibato and a twist at the Fianaransoa Court. Here is the story of this drama, involving the abuse of parliamentary immunity and bribery.
Antatadratsy: Between terror and extreme poverty
Antatadratsy, a village in the rural commune of Andoharanomaitso, Isandra district in the Haute Matsiatra region, seemed to exist outside of time, peaceful and uneventful. However, this serenity was swept away on the night of 26 May 2023 by an unprecedented tragedy: three people wrongly accused of child abduction were lynched to death by a mob in the neighbouring village of Lalazana Ambony. The former MP elected in the district of Vohibato was cited as the instigator of this act. The next day, the police raided the village of Antatadratsy, which was not involved in the tragedy, arresting around 30 residents. This heavy-handed intervention left families in shock, and a climate of terror took hold.
In February 2025, journalists from Malina returned to Antatadratsy, Fokontany Ranomaitso. News was pouring in from the village: several people had died after fathers had been placed under arrest warrants. We arrived in Antatadratsy to an eerie silence. Abandoned houses, closed doors, residents who had fled to hide in the fields. Yet our team had already visited this same village in September 2023. After 18 months of investigation, we knew the inhabitants. And yet…
Behind closed doors, women and young girls retreat into silence, fear and the pain of mourning, while trying to ensure the survival of their families. Most of the men, the heads of families, have disappeared. Some are in prison, others have died. Their families have been left to fend for themselves for the past two years. The village of Antatadratsy, in the rural commune of Andoharanomaitso, is located in the south-eastern border area of the Isandra district, neighbouring the Vohibato district in the Haute Matsiatra region. According to the third general census of population and housing (RGPH3), multidimensional poverty affects more than 9 out of 10 people in this district. These figures can be explained by precarious living conditions and limited access to health and education services.
Successive deaths
After two weeks of preparation, Wilson Randriamalala, Fokontany chief of Lalazana Ambony and a survivor of the popular uprising of May 2023, agreed to accompany us. Two years ago, he narrowly escaped death when he prevented a mob from beating up the occupants of a vehicle who had been falsely accused of being child thieves. Only one household opened its doors after we explained the reason for our visit and gained their trust. Only two mothers agreed to speak, even though their doubts were not entirely dispelled.
Among them was Marie Josephine Razafindrafara, who lived through a nightmare following the imprisonment of several members of her family, including her older brother. These individuals were still in preventive detention when we visited Antatadratsy in February 2025. “How many people have lost their lives here? In the evening and at night, just seeing the light of a torch fills us with fear of being arrested again. During the day, when we hear that a well-dressed person is heading towards our village, whether we are children or adults, we flee. This situation still haunts us. The trauma has caused us heart attacks!” she said at the beginning of our conversation.
Marie Josephine Razafindrafara is still in mourning. Her family has gone through a difficult ordeal with successive deaths that have left a great void in several homes. “Eight people, who share the same tomb as us, died one by one. Every fortnight, there was a death. Currently, our family tomb is practically inaccessible, according to those who attended the last funeral. The entrance is overrun with flies. The deaths were too frequent,” she testified, still in shock. From May 2023 to February 2025, the inhabitants of Antatadratsy struggled to regain their peace of mind, seemingly watching their lives crumble behind the 660 days spent between extreme poverty, mourning and almost constant fear.
A glimmer of hope
Despite the fear and pain shared with her neighbours, a faint glimmer of joy appears on Ralalarisoa’s face. She is the mother of Mahatradraibe Pela Andrianatoavina, a collateral victim who paid a heavy price for a mix-up of names in this case, according to Wilson Randriamalala, Fokontany chief of Lalazana Ambony, during our first interview with him in September 2023.
After his arrest, Toavina obtained his BEPC (Brevet d’études du premier cycle) in prison. ‘A teacher, his fellow prisoner, continued to give him lessons in prison. He is now there to catch up,’ said his mother, Ralalarisoa. Toavina was granted provisional release a week before our arrival in Antatadratsy. He was able to enrol at Andoharanomaitso High School to continue his studies. “This situation has had an impact on my son’s education. I feel sorry for him. He is no longer in prison and will be able to continue his studies. He will start school on Monday (Editor’s note: 24 February 2025). But I feel powerless because I spent all my savings taking care of him when he was in prison,” added Toavina’s mother.
During our interview with the only two willing sources in the village, the atmosphere began to relax in Antatadratsy. The complicity of Marie Josephine Razafindrafara and Ralalarisoa helped to ease the tension and regain the trust of the villagers. People began to speak more freely. Apart from Toavina, several people in preventive detention were able to obtain provisional release, according to the inhabitants of Antatadratsy who chose to speak “off the record .” In order to verify this information about the provisional release of individuals held in custody, a request for a hearing with the regional directorate of the Haute Matsiatra Prison Administration was necessary. Indeed, 38 of the 46 individuals incarcerated were granted provisional release during our visit to Fianarantsoa. This information was confirmed by Fanomezantsoa Danny Razanakoto, regional director of the Haute Matsiatra Prison Administration: “In this case, some individuals have already been granted provisional release and have already been released. Forty-six people were imprisoned. Thirty-eight of them were granted provisional release. Only eight are still in custody awaiting trial.”
Suspicion of corruption in the granting of provisional release
We meet Emmanuel Razanajatovo, the catechist from Antatadratsy, on the way to the central prison in Ankazondrano. He is the head of the only household in Antatadratsy that opened its doors to us. Members of his family and his church are still in prison. The clergyman suspects corruption in the granting of provisional release. ‘It’s every man for himself because in society there are rich and poor. Those who have money can leave and don’t care about those who don’t. So if people have paid for their freedom, I think suspicions of corruption cannot be ruled out,’ he said. Are the suspicions of this catechist from Antatadratsy well-founded?
The director of the Fianarantsoa Prison Administration emphasised that it is not within their remit to grant provisional release to prisoners who have not been convicted, as in this case. He explained: “It is not within the remit of the prison administration to grant provisional release to prisoners who have not yet been tried or convicted. That is the responsibility of the judiciary. (…). Thus, the judiciary granted provisional release to 38 detainees. Eighteen of them were authorised by the Court of First Instance and 20 by the Court of Appeal.” Reached by telephone, Tinah Rabendrainy, Public Prosecutor at the Court of First Instance in Fianarantsoa, confirmed these explanations. “It is at the discretion of the judges of the preventive detention chamber. The preventive detention chamber grants provisional release if the case is at the level of the Court of First Instance. It is the indictment chamber if it is at the level of the Court of Appeal. Three judges make the decision with the request of the public prosecutor. Provisional release is granted following new developments in the case or if there is a guarantor. Provisional release cannot be obtained with the initial charges. Often, judges agree to grant provisional release because they observe new developments in the investigation.” During the two weeks following our visit to Fianarantsoa, the situation evolved rapidly. On 7 March 2025, seven other people were granted provisional release. This information was confirmed by Jean Christophe Randrianandrasana, Head of the Penitentiary in Ankazondrano. ‘There were still eight of them when you last visited Fianarantsoa. Now there is only one person left in custody awaiting trial,’ he said during our telephone conversation.
3 million Ariary to free seven people
A week after this conversation, on 15 March 2025, an unexpected circumstance opened up a lead that was likely to justify the suspicions of catechist Emmanuel Razanajatovo, who is also president of the Fifohazana movement in Antatadratsy. We received text messages from a Fokontany chief in the rural commune of Andoharanomaitso, in the district of Isandra, whose identity we will not reveal for his safety. This source asked us for help in negotiating the provisional release of the last person in prison. According to these explanations, obtaining provisional release requires a certain amount of money and connections. One of the families in Antatadratsy has already opted for this approach. They sold a rice field to secure the release of seven family members who were in provisional detention. “They paid 3 million Ariary. It is a family from Antatadratsy, where you were a few weeks ago. This is a very recent case, which is why the residents were hostile when you arrived in the village. According to the information I have been given, the payment is not made directly to the magistrate but through an intermediary. This is a tout who operates at the Besorohitra Court of Appeal,” our source said on the phone. Are touts still involved in the processing of cases in the courts? To verify this information and find the answer to this question, the Attorney General at the Fianarantsoa Court of Appeal granted us an interview through a collaboration with two journalists from Fianarantsoa. ‘Unfortunately, this is the reality! But as soon as the perpetrator of the corruption is identified, the court must open an investigation and initiate proceedings,’ explained Jean Jacques Ramanankavana, Attorney General at the Fianarantsoa Court of Appeal.
Case of the former MP from Vohibato: loss of immunity
Two years ago, while heads of families were being held in preventive detention, suspicion fell on MP Jean Martin Randrianatoavina, elected in Vohibato. According to explanations given by Tinah Rabendrainy, Public Prosecutor at the Court of First Instance in Fianarantsoa, during a press conference in Fianarantsoa in June 2023, the MP allegedly ordered villagers to commit this crime, which was considered an ‘act of barbarism’. The case was referred to as a flagrant offence.
A written report dated 28 May 2023, drafted by the deputy Fokontany chief of Lalazana Ambony and endorsed by the mayor of the rural commune of Soaindrana, confirmed the explanations given by the public prosecutor. The order given by the MP was set out in black and white in this report: “Kill them and write a report. I will send law enforcement the next day.” The court certified the authenticity of this report. The MP in question himself admitted his involvement to the Fianarantsoa press at a press conference on 30 May 2023, saying: ‘If you act to protect your lives and defend your property, it is self-defence. So beat them!’ A judicial delegation was issued by the Senior Judge of the Court of First Instance of Fianarantsoa on 7 August 2023, for a legal period of 45 days, to search for, identify, question, arrest and bring the MP to justice. The judicial delegation remained unheeded and was never executed. MP Jean Martin Randrianatoavina invoked his parliamentary immunity to refuse to appear before the investigating judge. However, audio recordings reveal an attempt to negotiate with the victims’ families and magistrates to close the case in exchange for a bribe of 20 million Ariary.
Jean Martin Randrianatoavina ran for re-election in the 2024 legislative elections but was not re-elected. This loss of office raised questions about the possibility of legal action without the hindrance of his parliamentary immunity. According to corroborating and reliable sources within the Court of First Instance in Fianarantsoa, former MP Colonel Jean Martin Randrianatoavina, former representative of the District of Vohibato, lost his parliamentary immunity after suffering this defeat in the 2024 legislative elections. His case involving mob justice in Lalazana Ambony has resurfaced in court. The case is currently being heard by the Fianarantsoa Court of Appeal. Jean Jacques Ramanankavana, Attorney General at the Fianarantsoa Court of Appeal, confirmed that the former MP has already appeared before the investigating judges. He is one of 102 people who will be tried during the 2025 session of the Ordinary Criminal Court.
Root causes
The case of Lalazana Ambony is not an isolated one in the Haute Matsiatra region, according to a human rights organisation in Fianarantsoa. Torn between fear, grief and poverty, those facing trial have become vulnerable to corruption. Lack of education and fear of accessing government offices only exacerbate the situation.
Harimanga Abel Randrianarivo, technical director at the NGO Fiantso, shed some light on the situation: . “We are not going to lump everyone together and say that all magistrates are bad. But some, as repeatedly cited by defendants, set their own prices. The prison doors are open to you if you don’t have a certain amount of money, for example at the Criminal Court. In my opinion, there is also a huge difference in the understanding of the law between judges and lawyers on the one hand, and ordinary citizens on the other. Yet the law is also supposed to protect citizens. This encourages the exploitation of the situation to the detriment of people who are already vulnerable.” After two years of immersion and investigation into the Lalazana Ambony case, the corrupt practices are obvious: abuse of parliamentary immunity, attempts to buy the families’ silence, influence exerted on magistrates, payment of bribes through an intermediary to obtain provisional release. A recording even reveals the names of several magistrates involved in dubious negotiations.
By Fah Andriamanarivo
‘Singam-bola mandavo ny vositra’: international recognition
In 2024, MALINA produced its first investigative video on mob justice in Isandra, entitled ‘Singam-bola mandavo ny vositra’, which received international recognition. In December 2024, it won first prize and received the PAJI-OR award at the third edition of the ‘African Prize for Investigative Journalism’ – PAJI 2024, in the television category, in Nouakchott, Mauritania.
