The new government established by Emmanuel Macron, who won the Presidential elections in France, after he brought Elisabeth Borne to the Prime Ministry, held its first meeting in the shadow of the “rape scandal”.
It was claimed that Damien Abad, the politician Macron “transferred” from the center-right and brought to the Ministry of Solidarity and the Disabled, “raped 2 women”. However, the government is skeptical of allegations that the new minister, Damien Abad, who is severely disabled, committed this crime.
Elisabeth Borne, who was appointed as the second female Prime Minister in the history of France, said, “I dedicate this duty to all the girls of my country,” and the rape of Damien Abad, who was appointed as the Minister of Solidarity and the Disabled, before he could hold the first meeting of his cabinet, just one day after the government announced that it would make maximum efforts for women’s rights. faced scandal.
Abad’s ministry happiness lasted only a few hours, when the Republicans (LR) accepted to be Macron’s minister while he was the former Group Chairman of his party, which was met with a great reaction in his own party. Mediapart news site, in the news it published on Saturday morning about Damien Abad, who was announced as a minister on Friday evening, wrote that 42-year-old Abad was accused of rape by 2 women in 2010 and 2011.
Investigative journalism news site Mediapart wrote that a day after the government’s announcement, Damien Abad, the new Minister of Solidarity and Disability, is facing two rape charges.
Speaking to the newspaper, two women accused 42-year-old Damien Abad of raping them in 2010 and 2011. It was also stated in the news that one of the women filed a complaint in 2017, but because there was no “serious evidence” regarding the allegations, a decision of non-prosecution was given.
One of the women recounts that at the end of 2010, she and Abad were at a hotel in a hotel, after drinking a glass of champagne and remembering nothing and waking up in the morning with Abad in underwear next to her. Secondly, he states that Damien Abad accepted a sexual relationship after persistent dating, but did not take into account his “desire to end sexual intercourse” in the future.
“My physical disability makes rape impossible”
Responding to the allegations in a press release, Damien Abad stated that he “denied all the accusations with all his might and his physical disability did not allow him to commit these crimes.” Stating that she suffers from congenital ‘arthrogryposis’ and that her movements are very limited and she has difficulty moving, Abad said, “The disabilities I have make rape impossible. Nothing is possible without the consent and full participation of my partner. Today, for someone in my situation, the sexual act is only It can be done with the help and kindness of my partner. There is no way I can impose this or that practice, this or that action. I have always had consensual sexual relations. One of the complainants made him use drugs and then take him away, rob him, and rape while he was unconscious. “The allegations that I have made do not seem to make sense,” he said.
Prime Minister Borne, who met with Abad on Sunday night after the government was shaken by the rape scandal before the first Council of Ministers convened, stated that he had just heard of the incident and said, “The government will never allow allegations of harassment and rape to go unpunished. “We will continue to give all kinds of support for this. If the judiciary makes a decision, necessary action will be taken,” he said.
The Paris Prosecutor’s Office also confirmed that “the first complaint regarding the rape acts was an application for testimony on 6 April 2012, but the application was rejected”, and the second complaint filed by the same complainant regarding the same incidents was “rejected on 5 December 2017 due to lack of evidence”.
“The only decision maker is the judiciary”
After the first Council of Ministers meeting, which started under the shadow of the “rape scandal”, more than half of the questions directed to the new Government Spokesperson, Olivier Gregoire, who held the first press conference, came about the allegations against Abad. Stating that no member of the government was aware of these allegations, Gregoire said, “Neither you nor I will decide on this matter. The only decision-maker is the judiciary. The only criminal complaint against Damine Abad was rejected in 2012 and 2017.”
Speaking to Le Figaro newspaper after the cabinet meeting, Minister Abad said, “What I’ve been through is very difficult and frankly, it’s all really low-level stuff. It’s very unfair for me, my life partner and my family.” Abad, who again denied the crimes against him, stated that he had prepared a legal response to the allegations through his lawyer.
Claiming that these attacks came from his former political group, the politician said, “This complaint came out during the presidential election, in which I supported François Fillon. He came back when I was a minister. It is constantly brought up at key points in my political life.” “Are you going to resign?” He replied, “Should an innocent person resign? I don’t think so.”
One of the claimants spoke
Speaking to France Info radio, 35-year-old Margaux, one of the women who made the claim, insisted on her allegations and told that Damien Abad had a “disrespectful, persistent” sexual relationship in Paris in 2011, after observing him persistently for two years. “I tried to stop him several times, I implied, I tried to avoid him. He kept going despite repeated rejections,” Margaux said.
Stating that she went to the police station a year after the incident and filed a criminal complaint, Margaux said, “However, my first application was closed on April 6, 2012. When I saw Damien Abad everywhere in the media, I was angry that he did not show any concern while I was suffering, and I managed to file a criminal complaint again after 6 years.” said.
Stating that he did not file a lawsuit while he was the spokesperson of the presidential candidate François Fillon in Abad 2017, the deputy Abad said that he did not believe that it would result in any results, Margaux said, “But today the #metoo event, which is an evolution of consciousness, has taken place, now the voices of the victims are louder.” Margaux said he still hasn’t decided whether to file a lawsuit.
15 ministers will go if not elected
At its first meeting, the government discussed the issue of “purchasing power” and preparation for the parliamentary elections to be held on 12-17 June. At the meeting, Macron asked his 15 ministers to be candidates in the parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who has no election experience, and Damien Abad, whose name was involved in the rape scandal, are also on the list. Prime Minister Borne and the unelected ministers will have to leave the cabinet. However, Ains MP Damien Abad counts on his 67 percent of the vote in the first round in 2017 and plans to be reelected and return to Paris.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who was prosecuted for rape allegations before, but whose case resulted in “non-prosecution”, became Minister again after the elections. However, Macron also asked Darmanin to participate in the parliamentary elections.