Alexandre Benalla, former collaborator of Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, was referred to trial on Monday April 12 by the investigating judge responsible for investigating the case of the violence of May 1, 2018 in the capital, according to judicial sources.
Read also: Covid-19, Benalla, Outreau: what are all these parliamentary commissions of inquiry for?
The order for referral to the criminal court dated Monday, April 12, almost in accordance with the requisitions of the Paris prosecutor's office, returns the former official, reconverted in the private sector, to the criminal court for "willful violence", "interference without title in the exercise of a public function ”or even“ carrying of a weapon ”or“ public wearing of insignia ”unauthorized.
In fact, on July 18, 2018, the daily
Le Monde
identified the collaborator of the Head of State in a video shot and broadcast on May 1 by Taha Bouhafs, an activist of rebellious France who has since become a journalist.
In it, Alexandre Benalla, wearing a visor helmet of the police, attacks a young man on the ground, on the Place de la Contrescarpe in Paris.
In a few hours, the affair turns into a political scandal and creates an unprecedented crisis during the term of office of Emmanuel Macron.
The Paris prosecutor's office opened a preliminary investigation on July 19 into the facts of “violence”.
Quickly extended to cases of hijacking of video surveillance images of which senior police officials are suspected, this very sensitive case was entrusted three days later to investigating judges.
Alexandre Benalla is accused of having molested demonstrators on the sidelines of the May Day parade, not only on Place de la Contrescarpe in Paris but also, since other revelations in August 2018, in the Jardin des Plantes.
At his side, his sidekick Vincent Crase, former employee of the Republic on the move, who will appear on the bench for the same offenses.
Benalla and Crase contest the violence, believing they have helped the police to arrest demonstrators who threw projectiles at them.
Two former high-ranking officers of the Paris Police Prefecture, involved in the delivery of images of incidents in the Place de la Contrescarpe to Mr. Benalla, are also sent to correctional, in particular for "violation of professional secrecy".
The judge, however, dismissed a third police officer who had initially been implicated.
