Benalla case: the Paris police chief and his "dear friend"

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The prefect of Paris, Michel Delpuech (photo illustration). Bertrand GUAY / AFP

The investigation into the Benalla affair continues and its fallout begins to embarrass one of the most influential people in the Republic; the Paris police chief Michel Delpuech, who had declared before the parliamentary commission of inquiry not to know Alexandre Benalla. But according to information published this Wednesday by our colleagues of the "Duck chained", this would not be the case. The newspaper even evokes an unhealthy cronyism.

" Dear friend ! It is with these words that Michel Delpuech, Paris police chief, addresses Alexandre Benalla on a card he sent him on 21 January. Six months later, in front of the parliamentary commission of inquiry , this same Michel Delpuech affirmed hardly knowing the collaborator of Emmanuel Macron.

Contacted by the Chained Duck , the prefect of police defends evokes a simple gesture of courtesy, but this revelation puts once again Michel Delpuech before his contradictions.

It is indeed not the first time in this business that he is surprised to have some small arrangements with the truth . Thus, before this same commission of inquiry, he affirmed that the two people violently apprehended by Alexander Benalla on May 1 had lied to the police: " they declared false identities " then explained Michel Delpuech under oath before the deputies. But, this is not the case, the two people had given their true identity to the investigators, it is even the services of the territorial security of Paris who affirm it. Services that depend directly on the authority of Michel Delpuech.

Did the prefect lie under oath to members? Or did he not have the information, now it's up to the investigators to say it.