Benalla case: end of trial, judgment will be delivered on November 5

Published on : 02/10/2021 – 09:49

The court put its decision under advisement on November 5 following the trial of Alexandre Benalla, tried for three weeks in Paris, among other things for his actions during the demonstration of May 1, 2018, at the origin of the “Benallagate” “which shook the Elysee.

The former close collaborator of President Emmanuel Macron, now 30 years old and reconverted in the private sector, appeared in Paris for twelve offenses, primarily for “violence in meetings” and “interference in the function of police officer” this day of Labor Day.

He is also suspected of having fraudulently used his diplomatic passports and obtained a service passport through a forgery, as well as of having carried a pistol without authorization in 2017, during Emmanuel Macron’s campaign.

The prosecution requested 18 months of suspended imprisonment against him, as well as a 500 euros fine, five years of ban from all public office and ten years of ban on carrying a weapon.

The prosecution also requested a one-year suspended prison sentence for Vincent Crase, a former employee of En Marche! who formed a “duo” with Alexandre Benalla on May 1, 2018, as well as two and four months suspended prison sentence for two police officers from the Paris police headquarters, tried for having transmitted CCTV images to Alexandre Benalla.

“I am not an angel, I do not do things in the rules (…) does that make me a delinquent?”, In particular declared the defendant in his last words in court.

“I always wanted to do well, this day of May 1, I had a desire to be of service, to be at the service (but) I never used myself”, he assured, recognizing a “error of judgment”.

On the last day of the trial, the defense of Alexandre Benalla asked the court to “get rid” of the “media tidal wave” which resulted in “excess, drifts”, pleading the release of all prosecutions except the recognized use of diplomatic passports by the accused after his dismissal from the Élysée.

As since the beginning of the case, the defense maintained that Alexandre Benalla had not committed violence on Labor Day, in the Jardin des Plantes and on the Place de la Contrescarpe, but that he had ” assisted in the arrest “of individuals in” flagrante delicto “, as the law allows.

Vincent Crase’s lawyer pleaded for acquittal on all the facts, except for having carried a weapon on May 1, 2018.

The counsels of the last two defendants also pleaded for the release, arguing that they had committed only an “error of discernment” and not a “criminal fault”.

With AFP