The prosecution in the case against former presidential officer Alexandre Benalla have requested an 18-month suspended sentence relating to violence committed during a May Day demonstration in Paris three years ago.
In the closing hours of the prosecution's deposition to the court on Thursday, Alexandre Benalla, President Emmanuel Macron's former Chargé d'Affaires and bodyguard, was described as a "Janus".
On the one hand "a recognised and competent professional", on the other "a young 26-year-old with a meteoric rise" without a filter.
He was also referred to as an "Icarus" who burnt his wings by pushing the limits of what is allowed.
Benalla and co-defendent Vincent Crase are accused of using excessive violence during demonstrations on 1 May 2018, where they were filmed actively attacking protesters as if mandated by the police force.
- Macron's ex-bodyguard Benalla in court on charges of assaulting protesters
- Several marches, heavy security expected on May Day in Pari
Benalla had attended the parade as an observer and was identified by the Le Monde newspaper two and a half months later.
Up to that point, the two men were believed to be have been police officers.
Since the trial began on 13 September, Benalla and Crase – a former employee of En Marche! – have consistently maintained that they stopped "police aggressors" on Labour Day.
Some commentators quoted in a Mediapart article say the demand for an 18-month suspended sentence is too lenient.
[#Reportage] Un réquisitoire très clément pour #AlexandreBenalla – par @michel_delean https://t.co/eQyGNAtEnJ
— Mediapart (@Mediapart) October 1, 2021
Citizens arrest
Throughout the proceedings, both defendants justified their behaviour under an article of the code of criminal procedure, which allows a citizen, under certain conditions, to apprehend the author of a "flagrant offence."
Prosecutors are asking for Benalla and Crase to be convicted for usurping the position of police officers and for violence against a couple attending the protest.
Alexandre Benalla is also charged with carrying a weapon without authorisation in April 2017 after one of Macron's campaign meetings in Poitiers.
The sentence request also covers his misuse of two diplomatic passports after his dismissal from the Elysée, which were used for eleven foreign trips.
The prosecution has also called for a fine of €500, a five-year ban on any public office and a ten-year ban on carrying a weapon – fifteen years for Vincent Crase.
The defence case gets underway this Friday.
