The arrest and custody of Christophe Ruggia, accused of sexual touching by actress Adèle Haenel, were canceled by the Paris Court of Appeal, but the director remains indicted for "
sexual assault on a minor
" , we learned Friday from a judicial source.
The investigative chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal on September 30 canceled these two points of procedure, considering that the arrest by the police "
was not strictly necessary
", detailed this source. , confirming information from the
Parisian
. On the other hand, the court of appeal "
did not cancel the search of the home
" of the director, nor his indictment and judicial control, said the judicial source.
Christophe Ruggia, 56, was indicted for "
sexual assault on a 15-year-old minor by a person with authority over the victim
" on January 16, 2020 after spending two days in police custody.
"
This is an illegal arrest by the police,
" responded to AFP one of Christophe Ruggia's lawyers, Me Fanny Colin, denouncing "
a strong media wave triggered by a well-known actress
".
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"
The next step that we are impatiently awaiting is that he can be questioned by the investigating judge under normal conditions, without pressure and without being in a cell,
" she added. Placed under judicial supervision, he is notably prohibited from meeting the 32-year-old actress, whom he was confronted with during his police custody. Each has camped on its positions, had specified a judicial source.
Adèle Haenel, awarded two César awards in 2014 and 2015, denounced to Mediapart in November 2019 the director's “
hold
” during the preparation and shooting of the film Les Diables (2002), then a “
permanent sexual harassment
”,
Repeated
"
touching
" and "
forced kisses on the neck
", which are said to have taken place at his home and at several international festivals, when she was between 12 and 15 years old.
For his part, Christophe Ruggia disputes the facts, regretting having "
made the mistake of playing the pygmalions with the misunderstandings and the obstacles that such a posture creates
".
Refusing at first to take legal action, the actress finally lodged a complaint a few days after the opening of a preliminary investigation by the Paris prosecutor's office in November 2019.