FRANCOIS DURPAIRE. The historian François Durpaire was indicted for rape, he was placed under judicial supervision on September 1. Consultant for BFM TV, he was dismissed from the air by the channel.
[Mis à jour le 5 septembre 2022 à 21h46] François Durpaire is in turmoil. The historian and media consultant, accused of rape by a former companion, was indicted on September 1, 2022. The new stage in this case had an immediate impact for the BFMTV consultant. The continuous news channel has decided to suspend François Durpaire from the air during the time of the investigation. Thus, an examining magistrate considered that there existed in this file “serious or concordant indications” of his involvement in the alleged facts. The information, made public by Le Parisien, was confirmed by the Paris prosecutor’s office on September 4. François Durpaire was questioned by the magistrates in charge of the investigation, but the defendant preferred to assert his right to silence during the first appearance, while indicating, according to his lawyer, that the accusations were for him “unfounded “.
The judges decided, in addition to the indictment, to limit the freedoms of the historian by a measure of judicial control, without however attaching a deposit. Dorothée Bisaccia-Bernstein, François Durpaire’s lawyer, reacted to AFP, arguing that the opening of the judicial investigation would allow the historian to “express himself in a contradictory way in the face of these accusations” . According to her, the investigating judges considered that her client “was sufficiently trustworthy to impose a fairly light judicial review on him”.
What are the rape charges targeting François Durpaire?
According information from the Parisian, François Durpaire is accused by a former companion, with whom he had a brief relationship, of rape. According to the complainant’s account, the facts date back to 2011, when she was 28 years old: she indicates that she came to François Dupaire’s apartment, located rue de la Roquette in Paris, and was sexually assaulted and raped. Le Parisien adds that in 2020, 9 years after the alleged facts, the young woman would have agreed with the historian on a financial transaction so that she does not file a complaint and remains silent. A sum of 60,000 euros is mentioned. Obviously, the young woman finally considered that it was preferable to file a complaint.
With the Parisian, François Durpaire’s lawyer indicates that he would speak in due time on this case. “He had heard of accusations for a few months, this opening of judicial information reassured him, it allows him to know the charges which are brought against him. This will allow the manifestation of the truth. Mr. Durpaire will deliver his explanations during the interrogation on the merits which will take place in a few weeks”, she replied to the Parisian.