The cabinet reshuffle marked the departure of Damien Abad. LR defector, the former Minister of Solidarity is the subject of a complaint for attempted rape, filed after several accusations of sexual assault. In an interview with Elle magazine, to be published this Wednesday, July 6, Elisabeth Borne spoke about this embarrassing affair for the executive. For the Prime Minister, it is “essential” that women’s voices be freed, but “the search for responsibilities” remains the prerogative of justice. “Outside the government, Damien Abad will be able to defend himself and justice will be able to do its job calmly,” commented the head of government, who said in May that he had not been aware of the charges before the appointment of the ex-minister.
Removed from office, Damien Abad castigated in the wake of “despicable slanders”, “a formidable political weapon in the hands of malevolent spirits”. “I will defend myself relentlessly until justice confirms my innocence”, he added during his transfer of power from his successor Jean-Christophe Combe, thanking Emmanuel Macron for the “trust” that he testified to her “from the beginning.” For her part, Élisabeth Borne invoked “a duty to set an example for members of the government. “I think politicians or officials are not simply expected to be not criminally reprehensible. They are expected to be exemplary, “she said in the columns of Elle magazine, acknowledging that the subject is “complicated”. And to add: “In the field of what is not criminally reprehensible, there are behaviors that we do not want to see. »
The appointment of Damien Abad turned into a controversy the day after he entered government. Mediapart reported accusations against him of rape, dating from 2010 and 2011. It should be noted that complaints concerning the deputy, easily re-elected in his constituency of Ain last June, were filed in 2012 and then 2017. A complaint last week, leading to the opening of a preliminary investigation into attempted rape, sealed his departure. “The conditions of serenity were no longer present,” summed up Olivier Véran, newly appointed government spokesperson, after the Council of Ministers.