France’s newly appointed interior minister is in hot water after only three days on the job. Gerald Darmanin is currently under investigation for a complaint made by a woman accusing him of rape.
In 2017, a woman alleged that Darmanin assaulted her when she sought legal help from him in 2009. Darmanin says the encounter was consensual and has sued the woman for slander.
NEW PRIME MINISTER VOICED SUPPORT FOR DARMANIN
The case was newly reopened on June 11 by the Paris Court of Appeals after having been dismissed in 2018, with the allegations concerning not only rape but sexual misconduct and breach of trust.
New Prime inister Jean Castex is under fire for sustaining the employment of Darmanin, who was previously budget minister.
Castex assumed office Friday after his predecessor, Edouard Philippe, tendered his resignation, which President Emmanuel Macron accepted. Philippe ran in and won last week’s election for the mayor of Le Havre.
In an interview Wednesday with French broadcaster BFM TV, Castex took responsibility for the choice but added his support. “He, like everyone else, has the right to the presumption of innocence,” said the prime minister.