Rape charge against budget minister roils French government amid debate on sexual assault
GÃ©rald Darmanin
The minister   GÃ©rald Darmanin   stands accused in an incident dating to 2009.
âThe Prime Minister wishes to assure on the one hand that the rules determining membership in the government are known  and on the other hand that  Mr. Darmanin  has  his  full confidence â the office of Prime Minister Ãdouard Philippe said in an emailed statement.
But Franceâs mainstream center-right Republican party seized the opportunity to demand Monday that  Darmanin  step down. Some see in that intervention a hint of political revenge:  Darmanin  is a former member of the party who was expelled last year for having defected to Macronâs centrist coalition.
For the second time  the same woman  Sophie Spatz â a former call girl whose birth name is Olga Patterson  according to French media â has accused  Darmanin  of forcing her to have sex with him in 2009 in exchange for his intervention in a personal legal matter.
Spatz  46  first filed a complaint against  Darmanin  last year  after he joined Macronâs government  but the case was closed when she failed to attend a mandatory police interview. Earlier this month  however  she filed a second complaint  and prosecutors have reopened the case.
In an interview with Le Monde  Spatz alleged that  Darmanin  â after hearing the details of her case â suggestively placed his hand on hers. âYou will have to help me as well â she quoted him as saying. She said that she told him she should go home to her husband but that  Darmanin  pressed her to accompany him to a Parisian sex club called Les Chandelles   Spatz told Le Monde.
The two then ended up at a cheap hotel nearby  by her account. Spatz sent  Darmanin  out to buy shower gel and toothpaste  then hid in the bathroom âto postpone the fateful moment to the maximum â according to a statement one of her lawyers gave to Le Monde. âNevertheless  realizing that the act was still âon the program â â the statement said  âshe had to end up bowing to it  despite all these stall tactics.â
As the pressure has increased for his resignation   Darmanin âs colleagues â notably female cabinet members â have stood by him.
Speaking on French radio Monday morning  Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet said  Darmanin  âcan stay in the governmentâ for the time being  insofar as no formal charges are brought. MarlÃ¨ne Schiappa  Franceâs gender equality minister  had little to say besides observing that âit is important for the judiciary to be able to work calmly.â
On a political level  the renewed allegations against  Darmanin  appear likely to add to a recent spate of embarrassments for Macron. In an administration that has been in power for less than a year  four other prominent members have stepped down over charges relating to political corruption.
The minister    [TGT]    stands accused in an incident dating to 2009.
âThe Prime Minister wishes to assure on the one hand that the rules determining membership in the government are known  and on the other hand that  Mr. Darmanin  has  his  full confidence â the office of Prime Minister Ãdouard Philippe said in an emailed statement.
But Franceâs mainstream center-right Republican party seized the opportunity to demand Monday that  Darmanin  step down. Some see in that intervention a hint of political revenge:  Darmanin  is a former member of the party who was expelled last year for having defected to Macronâs centrist coalition.
For the second time  the same woman  Sophie Spatz â a former call girl whose birth name is Olga Patterson  according to French media â has accused  Darmanin  of forcing her to have sex with him in 2009 in exchange for his intervention in a personal legal matter.
Spatz  46  first filed a complaint against  Darmanin  last year  after he joined Macronâs government  but the case was closed when she failed to attend a mandatory police interview. Earlier this month  however  she filed a second complaint  and prosecutors have reopened the case.
In an interview with Le Monde  Spatz alleged that  Darmanin  â after hearing the details of her case â suggestively placed his hand on hers. âYou will have to help me as well â she quoted him as saying. She said that she told him she should go home to her husband but that  Darmanin  pressed her to accompany him to a Parisian sex club called Les Chandelles   Spatz told Le Monde.
The two then ended up at a cheap hotel nearby  by her account. Spatz sent  Darmanin  out to buy shower gel and toothpaste  then hid in the bathroom âto postpone the fateful moment to the maximum â according to a statement one of her lawyers gave to Le Monde. âNevertheless  realizing that the act was still âon the program â â the statement said  âshe had to end up bowing to it  despite all these stall tactics.â
As the pressure has increased for his resignation   Darmanin âs colleagues â notably female cabinet members â have stood by him.
Speaking on French radio Monday morning  Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet said  Darmanin  âcan stay in the governmentâ for the time being  insofar as no formal charges are brought. MarlÃ¨ne Schiappa  Franceâs gender equality minister  had little to say besides observing that âit is important for the judiciary to be able to work calmly.â
On a political level  the renewed allegations against  Darmanin  appear likely to add to a recent spate of embarrassments for Macron. In an administration that has been in power for less than a year  four other prominent members have stepped down over charges relating to political corruption.