Rape charges: Darmanin confronted for nine hours with the complainant

For the first time, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin was confronted Friday before an examining magistrate with the woman who accuses him of rape since 2017, Sophie Patterson-Spatz, at the Paris judicial court.

The minister, placed in mid-December under the status of assisted witness in this case, is accused of rape, sexual harassment and breach of trust.

The confrontation with his accuser, Sophie Patterson-Spatz, lasted about nine hours.

In a press release sent to AFP shortly before 11:30 p.m., the minister's lawyers, Me Pierre-Olivier Sur and Me Mathias Chichportich, were delighted that "at the end of this confrontation, Gérald Darmanin remains under the status of assisted witness" , which according to them constitutes "proof that no serious or concordant evidence of any offense is accused".

Asked by AFP, Ms. Patterson-Spatz's advice did not respond.

Facts dating back to 2009

The investigation into these facts dating from 2009 was resumed this summer by an investigating judge, following a long procedural battle.

The magistrate placed Gerald Darmanin on December 14 under the status of assisted witness, a status that may evolve during the procedure towards an indictment if the magistrate collects "serious or concordant clues".

In March 2009, the complainant addressed the elected official, then in charge of the legal affairs department of the UMP (ancestor of LR), to try to revise a 2004 conviction for blackmail and malicious appeals to the court. 'respect of an ex-companion.

According to her, Gerald Darmanin would have dangled his support from the Chancellery via a letter, in exchange for sexual favors that she would have accepted, feeling compelled to "go to the pan", according to her expression in front of the investigators.

She filed a complaint for the first time in June 2017, which was dismissed by the Paris prosecutor's office because the complainant did not respond to invitations from investigators.

Investigation closed then reopened

In January 2018, an investigation was opened following a new complaint from Ms. Patterson-Spatz.

This is heard three days later.

Gérald Darmanin is summoned to him for a free hearing, and confirms having had a sexual relationship with Ms. Patterson-Spatz, but according to him freely consented and at the initiative of the complainant: "There was no consideration".

The investigation is closed less than a month later for "absence of infringement".

In March 2018, the complainant filed a complaint with a civil party, and widened her accusations: breach of trust, extortion of sexual consent, fraud of sexual consent, rape, sexual harassment.

An examining magistrate refused the following August to resume investigations, considering the preliminary investigation sufficient to dismiss the charges.

After long procedural disputes, the Paris Court of Appeal ordered in June 2020 the resumption of the investigations into this accusation of rape, considering that the investigating magistrate "could not rely solely on the results of the preliminary investigation" to render a dismissal before any new investigation.

Since this summer, a new magistrate is taking care of the case.

Before the confrontation, several sources familiar with the matter told AFP that the judge did not seem convinced that the facts could be criminally qualified as "rape".

This did not prevent a close friend of Gerald Darmanin from recently worrying about accusations that could last, because of the length of the procedure and possible appeals on both sides, likely to "seal" his career Politics.