Macron's bodyguard sentenced to 3 years in prison for assaulting protesters

The former bodyguard of French President Emmanuel Macron, Alexandre Benala, was sentenced Friday to three years in prison, including one valid, on charges, most notably violence during a demonstration, in an incident that sparked a political scandal in France.

The former aide who is close to the president, who is currently 30 years old, was charged with 12 charges, most notably “violence during a gathering” and “interfering with the police function” during a demonstration in Paris on May 1, 2018.

Alexandre Benalla was present during the demonstration with the security forces as an observer, and he was photographed wearing a helmet and assaulting demonstrators in central Paris.

"You have been given a certain authority...presumably because of your closeness to the President of the Republic," the judge said when handing down the verdict.

"You have betrayed the trust that was given to you by appointment," he continued.

The court determined the penalty "in light of the enormity of the numerous acts, and the tasks you performed, which require you to be disciplined and exemplary."

The judge stressed the "sense of impunity and absolute power" of the defendant, who was also convicted of illegally using diplomatic passports after his dismissal, using a forged document to obtain a passport and illegally carrying a weapon in 2017.

Investigators concluded that he continued to use diplomatic passports to make trips to Africa and Israel, where he was trying to set up a consulting firm.

He was sentenced to three years in prison, one year of which he can spend in his home under supervision, wearing an electronic bracelet.



His lawyer announced on Friday evening that her client would appeal the ruling.

Alexandre Benala left the court without making any statement, and had pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

The newspaper "Le Monde" had revealed the case that caused a political earthquake for several months.

Benala began working as Macron's bodyguard in 2016 and was promoted to a senior security position after Macron won the presidency in May 2017, becoming one of the president's trusted confidants and appearing in many photos next to him.

After the scandal, Benala admitted to carrying a pistol during tours with Macron, although he was only authorized to carry it inside the headquarters of the ruling party, where he was nicknamed "Rambo".

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