It was a “stolen kiss” which led to Christian Debève, regional councilor for the Grand-Est, being indicted for sexual assault. He was also placed under assisted witness status for two other sexual assaults, the Colmar prosecutor said on Wednesday, confirming information from Rue 89 Strasbourg. The elected official “was heard as part of a first appearance interrogation,” said the prosecutor, Jean Richert. The judicial investigation, opened in June 2023, “will continue”, he added.
The judicial investigation had in fact been opened for an attempted rape and two sexual assaults but the attempted rape was reclassified as a sexual assault, Valérie Gletty, lawyer for one of the three complainants, told AFP.
A requested confrontation
Among the three women are two regional elected officials from the Grand-Est and one elected official from another region. “The placement under assisted witness status does not mean that he is innocent but it implies that there will be additional investigations, and an indictment is possible in the long term,” underlined the lawyer.
She added that her client had “requested a confrontation” with Christian Debève. “We are waiting for it to be organized. » Contacted by AFP, Christian Debève’s lawyer planned to communicate during the day on Wednesday.
