More and more testimonies are emerging against the newly appointed solidarity minister. The method was similar in several of the cases he is being implicated in. The politician denies everything, but this has since turned out not to be his only court case.

At the end of May, news broke in France that two women had accused Damien Abad, the newly appointed solidarity minister in PM Elisabeth Borne’s government, of sexual violence. The case was published by the investigative portal Mediapart. They have obtained statements from two women who accuse the minister in the second ever female French premier’s cabinet of raping them in 2010 and 2011. The BFMTV news television asked about the accusations against the minister at a press conference held by Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, but the latter avoided answering the question, saying he did not wish to comment.

Damien Abad accusé de viols: „Nous n’avons pas de commentaire á faire”, répondent Gérald Darmanin et Éric Dupond-Moretti pic.twitter.com/3I5ENrRnOl

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) May 22, 2022

PM Borne said on the incident that she was not aware of the allegations against Damien Abad, adding that the investigation had been closed at the time, but if sexual harassment and rape had indeed occurred, it could not go unpunished.

Unlike the head of government, Emmanuel Macron’s entourage was aware that Damien Abad had been previously prosecuted but that the case was closed in 2017, BFMTV reported. The French president’s office, however, was not aware of the details of the case and the specific charges against Abad, according to the Elysee.

The charges are indeed very serious, and according to the two accusers, Abad used a similar method on them, presumably drugging them by putting something in their drinks that made them intoxicated. Following the publication of the article, the prosecutor’s office announced on 25 May that it would not open a preliminary investigation into the case, the regional newspaper Ouest-France reports. Damien Abad also commented on the allegations, denying that he had committed rape, which he explained he would have been unable to do because of his physical disability.

Now, however, the dice could turn after a new accusation has been made, which comes at a very bad time for the minister with just a few days before the second round of the parliamentary elections. Another victim has contacted Mediapart journalist Marine Turchi, she disclosed in a show. The victim, a former beauty queen of Ain department claims that the politician attempted to rape her in 2010. The news site also reported on the incident in an article. Mr Abad assaulted the woman during a party at his home in Paris. The drink offered by the politician aroused her suspicion so she went to the bathroom to spit it out. The man followed her, pushed her into a room opposite and wanted to force her to perform oral sex. Eventually, the woman managed to escape when another guest disrupted the politician’s attempt. The article by Mediapart reveals that she is not the only accuser, with the testimonies of eight other women corroborating what she said. According to Marine Turchi, several women have reported similar methods, with the politician inviting them to meet him at night in an extremely pushy manner. Several witnesses have contacted them recently because they were outraged by the minister denying the allegations, citing his disability, the journalist said.

🔴 [TW Violences sexuelles] #DamienAbad : « Plusieurs des nouvelles personnes qui nous ont contactées l’ont fait parce qu’elles ont été ulcérées par sa défense sur son handicap »@marineturchi, @Mediaparthttps://t.co/hLyuKzzAHD pic.twitter.com/4aseUHs9Hq

— Á l’air libre – Mediapart 🔴 (@_alairlibre) June 14, 2022

The French solidarity minister came into contact with the justice system not only in connection with the alleged incidents of sexual violence. As reported by Rtl, the politician was questioned in the context of a murder attempt in 2020. According to information obtained by the paper, the politician tried to get information from the prefect of Ain department and the prosecutor about the status of the investigation into a homicide attempt involving one of his friends and his friend’s sister. The brother and sister were accused of attempting to kill a person employed by a plastics factory in the Oyonnax Valley, but they ultimately failed. The pair spent several months in pre-trial custody, according to the paper. When asked by the paper, the politician admitted that he had indeed contacted the prefect, but solely to find out about the status of the case said, adding that he had no intention of intervening in the investigation. He denied that he had spoken to the prosecutor.