The day after the filing of a complaint by the centrist elected official who accuses the Minister of Solidarity Damien Abad of having tried to rape her in 2010, the latter's lawyer defended her on BFMTV.
The minister does not know the complainant “absolutely not”, said his lawyer, Benoît Chabert, on Tuesday.
"He does not see who it is," said Me Chabert.
"The facts that are mentioned in a press article are false and he disputes them firmly," he said, saying that his client was "totally innocent".
The minister's lawyer also found it "disturbing" that this complaint came "in the days preceding the renewal of the government", "twelve years" after the facts denounced.
"I was scared, I was flabbergasted"
A complaint was lodged Monday at the Paris prosecutor's office against Damien Abad by a woman who accuses him of having attempted to rape her during a party organized at his home in Paris in the first half of 2010. The testimony of this woman had was published by Mediapart in mid-June under the assumed name of "Laëtitia".
According to the investigation site, it is a "centrist elected official" who was, during the events she denounces, president of a federation of the New Center youth movement, including Damien Abad, then MEP, was the national president.
On the evening of the events, according to her account, Damien Abad "offered her a glass" at the bottom of which she saw "something": suspicious, she went to spit her sip into the toilet.
Still according to her words, Damien Abad was waiting for her behind the door and would have "pushed her into a room opposite" and then tried to force her to perform oral sex.
“I was scared, I was flabbergasted.
I struggled, I hit him in the stomach, ”she says.
A slanderous complaint
"Laëtitia" says she was finally able to "get rid of" her alleged attacker and leave the room thanks to the irruption of a guest.
According to Mediapart, the facts reported by this woman are "supported by the testimonies of eight people, in whom she confided or who may have witnessed certain elements of her story", and whom the site claims to have contacted.
On Monday, the minister again challenged the charges and announced that he was filing a slanderous complaint.
On BFMTV, Me Chabert indicated that it would be filed this Tuesday during the day.