Former senator Joël Guerriau will appear in court on Monday accused of drugging MP Sandrine Josso at his home in Paris with the intention of sexually assaulting or raping her. The 68-year-old also faces charges of possessing drugs.
Josso, 50, went to Guerriau's home on 14 November 2023 to celebrate his re-election as senator for their Loire-Atlantique constituency.
The MP told investigators that the meeting was initially planned to take place at a restaurant and she said she was surprised to be the only guest when she arrived shortly after 8pm.
She said while waiting in the living room for her host to prepare two glasses of champagne in the kitchen, she saw him handling a bag of white powder.
The unusual taste of the champagne as well as Guerriau's desire to toast repeatedly and his eagerness to play with the light made her suspicious.
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She said Guerriau offered to perform a magic trick which she described to the police as "very evocative" of sexual penetration.
Josso left the apartment at around 10pm and took a taxi to the National Assembly where she alerted colleagues that she may have been drugged.
MDMA seized at home
Toxicological tests carried out during the night revealed the presence of MDMA, an ecstasy derivative, in Josso's blood at a level of 388 ng/mL – twice the dose considered "recreational".
A search carried out the following day at Guerriau's home led to the seizure of a 30g bag of MDMA, €680 in cash and computer equipment.
Technical analysis showed that the senator had deleted an unanswered message from Josso from his phone, in which she asked him what was planned for the evening in question.
Numerous text messages exchanged with another woman, who revealed to the police that she was Guerriau's mistress, were also deleted.
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Analysis of the suspect's phone and computer also revealed that he had visited several pornographic and prostitution websites.
Guerriau, a senator since 2011, denied any sexual assault plot in a first formal questioning.
The father-of-five stepped back from parliamentary work after the incident came to light. He resigned from the Senate in September 2025.
If found guilty, he faces up to five years in jail for trying to spike Josso's drinks and sexually assaulting her as well as a fine of €75,000.
He could be handed a one-year prison term and a €3,750 fine for possessing the drugs.
