The code states certain national archives should be shielded from public view for at least 75 years from their completion date.
As the file was finished in 2007, it means the public may not see it until 2082. But authorities have already reserved the right to again analysis whether to release the file – meaning it may never be seen.
Our insider said: “This is comparable to the refusal to release files relating to cases like the JFK assassination. And even when such files are released, they are usually redacted.
“It seems the French don’t even have the intention of releasing these documents at all.”
A spokesman for the Palais de Justice has stated: “The investigation file is placed in the archives of the Paris Court of Appeal.
“In application of article L213-2 of the heritage code, it cannot be consulted before the expiration of a period of 75 years.”
It is believed partial photocopies of the dossier – said to be stacked “floor to ceiling” in a room devoted to the records in the Palais de Justice basement – were sent to Lord Stevens who led the British investigation into Diana’s deadly Paris crash.
The copies were never made public as original documents are often only admissible in court hearings.
In 2006, it was also revealed photos held by French authorities showing Diana and her lover Dodi at the crash scene had also vanished.
Before being moved, the files were held by the Court of Appeal in Paris, housed in the Palais de Justice on the Boulevard du Palais in the Île de la Cité – an island in the Sienne river, central Paris.
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