Third time a member of present French government accused of rape

Two women have lodged complaints against Minister of State Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, accusing her of committing rapes while working as a gynaecologist.

This was confirmed by Paris’ public prosecution department today (June 22).

A first complaint was lodged on May 25, BFMTV reports, and the authorities opened an investigation two days later.

A second complaint was lodged on June 16 for a similar incident, which reportedly occurred in 2016.

The investigation will examine whether the facts related justify the opening of a criminal case.

Ms Zacharopoulou, 46, is the La République en Marche minister of state for development, la Francophonie and international partnerships.

She became a member of Élisabeth Borne’s government on May 20, within the Europe and foreign affairs ministry.

Previous to this, she had been an MEP since 2019.

This news comes after another government minister, Damien Abad, was also accused of having raped and sexually assaulted two women in 2010 and 2011. This has more recently been followed by allegations from a third woman, but has not stopped Mr Abad from being reelected to his seat in Ain during the legislative elections.

Paris’ public prosecution department has decided not to open an investigation into these accusations “as they stand”.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin was also accused of raping a woman in 2017, but the case was dropped. The allegations resurfaced several times over the years but were dismissed again earlier this year.

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