Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin.Image: keystone
June 30, 2026, 05:16June 30, 2026, 05:16
After her rape report had no consequences for the suspect for months, the mother of the girl affected has filed a complaint against the French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin. The minister is accused of intentionally endangering the lives of others and failing to provide assistance, as the woman’s lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, told the dpa news agency. The document was submitted on Monday to the Cour de justice de la République – a special court that has the power to prosecute and convict members of the government.
In August 2025, the mother reported a man for raping her then ten-year-old daughter, called Rosa. However, the man was not subsequently arrested or questioned by investigators. For several weeks now he has been suspected of raping and killing eleven-year-old Lyhanna. The girl’s body was found in early June. Since then, there have been discussions in France about possible mistakes by authorities and politicians.
Justice Minister Darmanin has not yet complied with demands for his resignation and does not see any serious misconduct on his part. However, an ad hoc investigation by a working group commissioned by several ministries uncovered deficiencies in the investigative measures taken by the responsible public prosecutor’s office and gendarmerie in the Rosa case: very long processing times, a lack of prioritization of the case and inadequate control of the procedure. This has resulted in disciplinary proceedings against a deputy public prosecutor.
The complaint that has now been filed sees failures on Darmanin’s part. During his years as a minister, he had done nothing to address the problems in the fight against child abuse, said the mother’s lawyer. Law enforcement authorities and associations have been drawing attention to structural grievances and a lack of resources for years. “There were warnings,” said the lawyer, according to French media reports. (sda/dpa)