Taha Bouhafs’ troubles with LFI are behind him. The party has closed the procedure of its internal cell dedicated to sexual and gender-based violence against the former journalist, forced to give up his candidacy for the 2022 legislative elections in the face of accusations by women.
“The precautionary measure concerning him has been lifted, which therefore acts on his reintegration into the party” reacted Monday in a press release his lawyers, Me William Bourdon, Raphaël Kempf and Vincent Brengarth. “I take note of LFI’s decision. However, I do not wish to rejoin the party. I keep my ideas, my fights close to me. But after everything that has happened I cannot rejoin this movement, neither this one nor another”, however wrote on Twitter Taha Bouhafs.
“The dangers of parallel justice”
After the withdrawal of a first accuser in the procedure before the Committee of Respect for Principles (CRP) of the movement, in February, the second accuser indicated that she did not wish to file a complaint or confront Taha Bouhafs with her accusations, indicated a source close to her. from the management of LFI, confirming information from BFMTV. “In accordance with our internal rules and respect for normal procedure, the CRP lifts the precautionary measure and does not take new measures,” said this source.
“We recall that Taha Bouhafs, who has always claimed his innocence, has not been the subject of any complaint, nor of any legal proceedings”, write his advice in their press release. “Yet he was excluded from the legislative elections, from his political movement and was the subject of a form of social and professional banishment because of which he has been unemployed for a year”. According to them, it is necessary “that this whole story makes us reflect collectively on the dangers of parallel justice”.
The case had caused a stir in the middle of the legislative campaign, raising the question of the merits for the parties to substitute themselves for justice. MP Clémentine Autain, among other rebels, had defended the need for internal procedures to better support the word of potential victims, believing that justice was fallible in the matter. For his part, Taha Bouhafs had denounced the internal procedure, indicating that he had never been confronted with the accusations and therefore had not been able to defend himself against them.