France investigates minister after rape reports
June 22, 2022
A minister in French President Emmanuel Macron's government is facing a rape investigation dating back to her previous work in the medical field.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that they launched a probe two days after receiving a first complaint on May 25. One more complaint has been registered last week.
Zacharopoulou currently serves as state secretary of development, Francophonie and international partnerships.
Minister active in reproductive health campaigns, vaccination programs
The 46-year-old Zacharopoulou was born in Greece, studied in Italy and worked in France as a gynecologist. In 2015, she became known by campaigning for more awareness of endometriosis, a serious and often painful condition which affects female reproductive organs. Zacharopoulou also publicly spoke in favor of women's reproductive rights, and was involved in the UN's COVAX initiative to help distribute vaccines to developing nations.
Zacharopoulou spent three years as a lawmaker in the European Parliament before joining the Cabinet led by Elisabeth Borne in last month. She is a member of Emmanuel Macron's party Renaissance, previously known as LREM or La Republique En Marche.
Macron scrambles to prop up government
The investigation is not the first into a member of Borne's government: Two women have also made rape accusations against Damien Abad, the minister for solidarity and people with disabilities. He has denied any wrongdoing and said he would not resign from his post.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin was also under investigation for rape reports filed in 2017, although prosecutors have since asked for the case to be dropped.
The latest scandal is likely to deal another blow to French President Emmanuel Macron, whose Ensemble bloc lost its parliamentary majority this weekend. Macron is now seeking new allies to prop up Borne's Cabinet.
dj/rt (AFP, Reuters)