Paris prosecutor requests the trial of the former bodyguard of Macron

Paris: The Paris prosecutor confirmed on Tuesday that it had requested the trial of the former bodyguard of French President Emmanuel Macron Alexandre Benalla, in the case of the violence of protesters on May 1, 2018 in the capital, a scandal that incurred the French administration for several months.

Benalla appeared in a video clip that day, taking part in the violent arrest of a protester.

The case, revealed by “Le Monde” newspaper, plunged the majority into a political spiral amid confessions and fluctuations. Benalla, who was in charge of Macron’s security during his 2017 election campaign, was considered a member of the president’s narrow circle and cared about his travels.

In its final pleading on February 2, the prosecution requested a criminal trial for four people, including Benalla, who is currently 29, for several misdemeanors, especially “voluntary violence” and “undue interference in the exercise of a public office,” or even

He carried an “unlicensed weapon,” according to what a source close to the file told AFP, information that the prosecution confirmed.

The final decision regarding the trial rests with the investigating judges in charge of this file.

The prosecution also requested the trial of his assistant Vincent Karaz, who was an employee of Macron’s “Republic Forward” party, on the same charges.

The two are accused of ill-treating demonstrators in Conterscarp Square in central Paris, as well as in the Jardin des Plantes on the sidelines of the May 1 demonstration.

Benalla and Karaz reject the accusation of violence and assert that they were assisting the security forces in arresting demonstrators throwing projectiles at them.

The lawsuit involves five protesters, including two people who were arrested by Benalla and Karaz in Conterscarp Square.

These two protesters were sentenced in February 2019 to pay a fine of 500 euros for throwing projectiles at two policemen.

In addition to this case, Benalla faces four other cases. He is accused of illegally using diplomatic passports and of issuing a forged passport to obtain a service passport. In this file, Benalla was referred in late January to the criminal court.