Dieudonné sentenced to 3,000 euros for defamation against Manuel Valls

A 31st conviction for Dieudonné by French justice. The controversial comedian was sentenced on Tuesday March 5 to a fine of 3,000 euros by the criminal court of Nanterre (Haut-de-Seine) for having defamed former Prime Minister Manuel Valls by accusing him of sexual assault, AFP learned from lawyers for both parties.

In addition to the fine, the comedian was ordered to pay the sum of 3,000 euros in damages to Manuel Valls and 2,000 euros for procedural costs.

In a video broadcast on October 22, 2020, now unavailable online, Dieudonné declared that he was “aware” of a complaint filed by a “young lady” against Manuel Valls, presented as a “attacker of good women” at a time when the latter would have been a history and geography professor.

The prosecution had requested a fine of 10,000 euros

He claimed that the former Prime Minister of François Hollande had been in police custody and insulted him. Manuel Valls filed a complaint with civil party status on November 3, 2020.

During the hearing, which was held on February 6, Manuel Valls’ lawyer, Thibault de Montbrial, denounced Dieudonné’s allegations, calling them “bunch of nonsense”. The council notably recalled that his client had never been a history and geography teacher.

The prosecution, which had requested a fine of 10,000 euros, had for its part qualified Dieudonné’s remarks as“abject and unworthy”. “These are two men who fight blow for blow”, for his part argued Jacques Verdier, lawyer for Dieudonné, who did not wish to comment on the decision. Neither Manuel Valls nor Dieudonné were present during the hearing.