Piotr Pavlenski, the radical Russian artist at the origin of the earthquake which has just shaken the heart of Macronie, is now doubly worried by French justice. At the heart of the dissemination claimed last Friday of videos of a sexual nature featuring Benjamin Griveaux, he was also prosecuted for an argument that turned sour, during New Year's Eve, in a Germanopratin apartment, au- above the Café de Flore.
Invited with his partner Alexandra de Taddeo by lawyer Juan Branco to this evening with the parents of his girlfriend, the anti-Putin "performer", who lives in a squat in the 19th arrondissement in Paris, would hardly have tasted a remark . In a state of intoxication, the impulsive activist allegedly grabbed a knife in the kitchen before assaulting two guests. It was as part of a judicial inquiry opened Tuesday morning for "violence with a weapon and under the influence of drunkenness resulting in incapacity of less than 8 days" that the prosecution had requested pre-trial detention. These facts, which led to his placement in police custody, are punishable by five years' imprisonment.
No detention
Regarding the video scandal, the real judicial "piece" followed to the top of the state, Pavlenski and his partner Alexandra de Taddeo were put under investigation and placed under judicial control in the context of information for "infringement to the privacy of private life by recording or transmitting the image of a person of a sexual nature ”and“ distribution without the consent of the person of a recording relating to words or images of a sexual nature ”. Despite the explosive power of this file, its protagonists could not be placed in detention, since the penalty incurred is below the two-year threshold prescribed by law.
At the end of 48 hours in police custody, a scenario could begin to emerge. If Piotr Pavlenski walled in silence, Alexandra de Taddeo collaborated. Giving her phone codes, she answered questions and unambiguously recognized that she was the recipient of the “sextapes” sent in spring 2018 by Benjamin Griveaux. "At this time, nothing indicates for the moment in the file that she was in contact with Piotr Pavlenski," confided to Le Figaro an informed source. Why did she knowingly keep such compromising images when they were supposed to disappear after a minute? "She kept them to keep them, not to publish them on a website," insisted her lawyer Noémie Saidi-Cottier, who clarified that the 29-year-old law student is prohibited from contacting her companion. One thing is certain: in front of the specialized police officers of the Parisian PJ, the young woman refuted any implication in the transmission and the diffusion of the images putting in scene the ex-secretary of State.
A series of technical expertises carried out on USB keys and telephones seized in search will make it possible to confirm, or not, this assertion and to trace the progress of the files. "On the other hand, confided to a Figaro close to the case, at no time did the young woman condemn the act of Piotr Pavlenski" , who published the images on his site, pornopolitique.com. "Extremely tired" , and "a little exhausted" to the point of having "not made a statement" to the judge on Tuesday, Alexandra de Taddeo "brings total support to her boyfriend" , summarizes Me Saidi-Cottier.
Last week, Pavlenski had justified his gesture as an act of resistance by castigating the "hypocrisy" of Benjamin Griveaux because, according to him, he "used his family by presenting himself as an icon for all the fathers and husbands of Paris" and "Made propaganda of traditional family values" . A "grotesque" explanation for Me Richard Malka, the lawyer for the former government spokesperson, who filed a complaint against X on Saturday. Assisted by two lawyers, as decided in agreement with the President of Paris who announced on Monday an ethical investigation due to a possible conflict of interest, Me Juan Branco assured the Figaro that he had been able to meet Tuesday for "fifteen minutes" Piotr Pavlenski. Fairly close to the Russian political refugee to the point of having "advised" him about the videos before they were broadcast, Mr. Branco claims to have tried to prevent such an enterprise. But the blow is gone, mowing down in the middle of the race one of the closest companions of President Emmanuel Macron.
