The Paris prosecutor's office announced Wednesday it had opened a preliminary inquiry after the statements of actress Adèle Haenel, who said she was a victim when she was a teenager of "touching" and "harassment" on the part of the director Christophe Ruggia . The investigation, which was opened for "sexual assault" on children under the age of 15 "by authoritative person" and "sexual harassment", was handed over to the Central Office for the Suppression of Violence Against Women. people (OCRVP), said the prosecution. The 30-year-old French actress, awarded by two Cesar, has questioned the director Christophe Ruggia, with whom she shot at the age of 13 his first film, "The Devils", in a survey published Sunday by Mediapart then in an interview filmed the next day.
No complaint from Adèle Haenel
The actress did not wish to complain, regretting the "few" convictions in this type of case. Despite the absence of a complaint, the Paris public prosecutor's office had the possibility of self-seizing the case as part of an "own-initiative inquiry". In the Mediapart investigation, Adele Haenel denounced "the hold" that Christophe Ruggia would have exerted on her during the preparation and filming of the film, then a "permanent sexual harassment", repeated "touching" and "forced kisses" in the neck ", while she was 12 to 15 years old.
"I never thought of justice because there is a systemic violence against women in the justice system, it's also about what you have to talk about ... I believe in justice, but must be challenged to be representative of society, "she explained. Questioned Wednesday morning on the case, the custody of the seals Nicole Belloubet felt that Adèle Haenel "should seize justice". "She is wrong to think that justice can not respond to this type of situation," said the minister on France Inter, while welcoming the character "very courageous" of his approach.
Ruggia "categorically refutes"
Through his lawyers, Christophe Ruggia, 54, has "categorically refuted" to have "exercised any kind of harassment or any kind of fondling" on the actress. Then, he personally denied any aggression but acknowledged a "mistake" and asked for forgiveness, according to Mediapart. The Society of Film Directors (SRF), a professional association with some 300 members, announced Monday that it had written off the director of its members.