The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said on Friday that a French soldier is under investigation by the authorities for allegedly raping a female soldier guarding the French President’s Elysee Palace.
The investigation began on July 12, and the defendant soldier was interviewed as an “assisting witness”, which means that he did not accept the interview as a suspect facing potential charges, the prosecutor told Associated Press.
According to reports, President Emmanuel Macron, who was living in the Elysee Palace, was not nearby when the attack allegedly occurred.
On the evening of July 1st, that is, the day when the rape was suspected, Macron paid tribute to an outgoing senior official at a cocktail party held at the palace.
The President gave a brief speech before leaving the party, but the celebration continued.
At that time, the female soldier accused her colleague of sexual assault, BBC News report.
A presidential official told AFP that the Elysee Palace stated that the accused soldier had been removed from his post and “immediate measures have been taken: to listen to, support and accompany the victims.”
The BBC noted that the alleged victim and the alleged assailant knew each other and reportedly worked together in a highly secure staff office in the building.
According to French media reports, the Minister of Defense Florence Parly (Florence Parly) also launched an internal administrative investigation into the allegations of rape.
