Four years in prison, three of which were suspended, were requested on Monday against Gilbert Cuzou, 39, a former regional councilor for Île-de-France and former member of Benoît Hamon's campaign team in 2017, tried for "assaults
and sexual harassment
" against several activists of the Socialist Party.
If the court follows the requisitions of the prosecution, the firm sentence can be adjusted and accomplished under an electronic bracelet, specified the prosecutor in her requisitions.
Ineligibility
Pointing to "
an indisputable seriousness of the facts
", the representative of the public prosecutor's office requested a permanent ban from all public office for the former elected official, his ineligibility for three years and his registration in the File of perpetrators of sexual or violent offenses (Fijais) .
Free under judicial supervision since January 2018, Gilbert Cuzou is the subject of six complaints from Socialist Party activists (five of whom have filed civil suits), aged between 18 and 28 at the time of the events (between October 2014 and June 2017) , who participated directly or indirectly in the presidential campaign of former socialist candidate Benoît Hamon.
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The complainants reported repeated touching and, for some, recurrent sexual remarks or solicitations from Gilbert Cuzou, described as "
an experienced activist
" and influential within the political movement of Benoît Hamon.
It was an "
unequal relationship
" between the defendant and the complainants, all younger than him and "
vulnerable
", according to the prosecutor.
rising figure
During his hearing, the former socialist presidential candidate had mentioned "
one of the thirty-something politicians who were rising
".
One of the complainants, 18 years old at the time, had denounced a rape suffered in June 2017 at Gilbert Cuzou's home after returning from an evening between activists.
These allegations were reclassified as sexual assault during the investigation.
It was following this allegation of rape that socialist activists decided to file a complaint against Gilbert Cuzou, after having exchanged their experiences.
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In the wake of the complaints, Gilbert Cuzou had been suspended from the movement of Benoît Hamon, who a few months later became Génération.s, and excluded from his political group at the Ile-de-France regional council.
The defendant, supported at the hearing by his companion, continued to portray himself as a "
seducer
" but denied having sexually assaulted anyone.
“
I have never had any indecent behavior
,” he argued before his lawyers spoke.