She refutes any accusation of a political calendar. Marine Turchi, journalist at Mediapart and co-author of the investigation into the Damien Abad affair, returned to her work, this Thursday on franceinfo. “This investigation, I started it in January 2021”, she recalls. Three women accuse the Minister of Solidarity of rape or attempted rape. “Chloé, Margaux and Laëtitia have been talking about it for years”she adds.
>> Accusations of rape against Damien Abad: we summarize the case in nine acts
Marine Turchi believes that keeping Damien Abad in government “is a political choice” because “In any company, there would have been someone who would be suspended as a precaution”.
What is striking in this case, in others also which involve political figures, is that speaking out can trigger others.
Yes, speech brings speech. I see this on a daily basis in cases of sexual violence because it is difficult to formulate a word and especially in front of a public man. Damien Abad is now a minister and at the time, he was already patron of deputies in the National Assembly. So it’s hard to talk. This elected centrist, who is called Laëtitia in my article, agrees to testify in Mediapart after much hesitation because she saw the testimony of Chloé and Margaux in my first article, published on May 21. It’s very important to say that.
Her lawyer explained it on franceinfo, she considered sending a letter to Elisabeth Borne. Finally, Laëtitia did not wish to do so, but she agreed to testify in Mediapart alongside other testimonies. Because this investigation is very long, it is ten pages long. There are many testimonies, confidants of witnesses but also other alleged victims who testify in this investigation. I really invite you to read it.
And then there are these SMS from Damien Abad, addressed to a person who also denounces his behavior. A female member of the Republicans. It is very interesting because they are not from ten years ago. It was two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, when I questioned him, he picked up his phone after my questions. He calls this woman to ask me if she has testified to Mediapart. At no time in these messages, does he deny the facts that she accuses him of. And that is very important.
It’s easier to testify when you feel less alone. Have you noticed this through your surveys?
Look at the PPDA case. When Florence Porcel filed a complaint against Patrick Poivre d’Arvor, she was very much alone. Many did not believe her. We then saw a dozen women come forward to the press or to the courts. This is exactly what is happening in this case since this testimony, I obtain it after months of investigation and after the publication of a first part. It is necessary to understand the difficulty of the steps for these people: justice is 73% of classification without follow-up for the cases of sexual violence. It is difficult humanly, these are expensive procedures and the outcome is very uncertain. It is also very difficult to testify with what it means on social networks, etc. I still want to say that this elected centrist, she is not anonymous to me. I was able to meet her in hours and hours. I was able to verify his identity, his testimony.
When did you start this investigation?
I started it in January 2021. A year and a half of work is the time it takes to be able to arrive at the first testimonials and the first article. In this second part, there are also the witnesses. There is Brigitte Fouré, for example, UDI mayor of Amiens, who is still close to the presidential majority. So, we can’t want to accuse him of wanting to destabilize the government or Damien Abad. She says: “I was present at some of the facts denounced by Laëtitia. I saw indecent, incongruous, heavy, inappropriate behavior from Damien Abad at this event and inappropriate enough for me to remember it 12 years later. “, she says. We can also cite Senator Olivier Pacaud who explains that this elected centrist confided in him years ago. So these people, Chloé, Margaux and Laëtitia for example, have been talking about it for years. This is very important because it goes against all the accusation of political calendar that I hear.
Elisabeth Borne says she cannot replace justice. But justice is seized without complaint. So there are no consequences to be drawn?
In these cases, justice will decide whether there are offenses or not. But there are a whole host of other questions that arise: ethical, moral, political. In the world of work, for example, an employer cannot behave like Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée. Faced with charges, he cannot say that he is relying on criminal justice. He must initiate a prevention policy at the risk of being ordered to pay damages. In any company, there would have been someone who would be suspended as a precaution, the time of an internal investigation and verifications. The government is making a political choice to keep someone who is the subject of multiple charges. It is a political choice.