The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has ordered a shake-up of his office after acknowledging failings in the way the presidency handled a scandal over his top bodyguard who was filmed beating a protester on May Day, a source close to the Élysée has said.
The bodyguard, Alexandre Benalla, was placed under investigation on Sunday for allegedly assaulting protestors at a May Day demonstration in a case that has sparked a political storm and brought the sharpest criticism Macron has faced since taking power 14 months ago.
Benalla appeared before a magistrate along with a member of Macron’s centrist La République en Marche (LREM) party.
Both men were mis-en-examen, the equivalent of being indicted, for “gang violence” after the assaults on demonstrators.
Three high-ranking police officers who allegedly gave Benalla video surveillance footage of the incidents also appeared before the judge. They were indicted for misappropriation of the images and violating professional secrecy.
The Élysée Palace, where Benalla worked as one of Macron’s inner circle as his security aide, has so far made no comment about the affair.
Presidential aides said Benalla had been punished with a two-week suspension from his post in May but photos have emerged of him continuing to accompany the president on official visits. Le Monde also claimed that after he was suspended Benalla was given the use of a luxurious grace-and-favour apartment near the Seine in central Paris reserved for Élysée workers, and provided with a car and chauffeur.
As the scandal gathered pace, Benalla, 26, was sacked on Friday and taken into police custody.
He was due to marry his fiancee, Myriam, at 11am on Saturday at the town hall of Issy-les-Moulineaux, a south-western suburb of Paris, but was forced to cancel the wedding. About 50 guests had been invited to a reception lunch at a restaurant in the chic 16th arrondissement of the French capital. Macron and his wife, Brigitte, were not attending but several of the presidential team were expected. Instead, the groom faced questioning by police while other officers searched his home.
According to Reuters, Macron met several members of his government on Sunday to discuss the case, a source said.
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
