The case had focused on allegations of “abuse of a vulnerable person” and concerned a resident of Tourcoing who accused Darmanin of encouraging sexual relations in exchange for help in finding a job and housing, at a time when she was in difficulty. Darmanin was Mayor of the town at the time.
Anaïs Leleux, president of the group behind the complaint, Pourvoir Féministe (Feminist Support) says text messages, letters and bills appear to support facts which might indicate a misuse of influence.
Speaking on Europe 1 Radio on Wednesday evening, Darmanin’s lawyer, Mathias Chichportich, said “Are we to believe that the idea of influence peddling has not already been suggested? … According to the Paris Prosecution Service [after the previous investigation] there is no abuse of a vulnerable person, no influence peddling.”
He referred to a text message from the original complainant, sent to Darmanin when he became interior minister, saying that for her “the matter is over.”
“Gérald Darmanin is totally serene”, he declared, adding that “when you use a case which has already been dismissed and a young woman who no longer wishes to discuss it, it is not activism, it is political.”
'Conflict of interests'
Pourvoir Féministe says it has also sent a letter to the HATVP, the body that oversees propriety in public life, alerting the organization to “a real conflict of interests”.
In June, an appeal court ordered the re opening of an investigation into rape allegations against Darmanin.
He is accused by Sophie Patterson-Spatz of raping her in 2009 after she sought his help in the hope of having a conviction for blackmail annulled. At the time he was a legal affairs adviser with the UMP, the predecessor of France's main right-wing party, the Républicans. Darmanin maintains they had consensual sex.
Patterson-Spatz also accuses Darmanin of sexual harassment and abuse of power. Darmanin’s lawyers have filed a libel complaint against her in return, insisting he had no power to deliver on her request to have her conviction annulled and that on no occasion did agree to intervene on her behalf in exchange for sex.
Darmanin’s new job as Interior Minister means he could, in theory, be questioned by the police in the investigation while at the same time their ultimate boss. Anaïs Leleux declares in her letter that the situation raises “reasonable doubts” over whether those conducting the investigation are able to work “with complete objectivity and without feeling subjected to pressure.”
'Man to man'
Darmanin’s appointment to the job on July 6 drew immediate outrage from rape survivors and women’s rights groups that has shown no signs of abating - campaigners have picketed every one of his public appearances so far.
His colleagues in government regularly point out that under French law, Darmanin, like anyone else, is innocent unless proven guilty. When asked about the decision to appoint Darmanin as Interior Minister, in a recent TV interview, president Macron explained that he had a "relationship of trust, man-to-man" with Darmanin, a phrase many criticised for being tone deaf.
