He wants to “continue to compete for the Cesars”. Actor Sofiane Bennacer, indicted in October in Mulhouse for the alleged rapes of two former companions and violence against a third, proclaimed his innocence on Wednesday. Revelation of Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi’s latest film, “Les Amandiers”, the 25-year-old actor is in the running for the nominations for best male hope.
“I am innocent (…) Does the presumption of innocence still exist? Or are we in a state of lawlessness, a state where the simple baseless accusation can destroy a life? “asked Sofiane Bennacer in a long message on Instagram. The actor had already disputed the facts during his indictment.
“Bogus testimonials”
“I may be boycotted by the cinema. Anyway, I was humiliated in the depths of my soul (…) I will be free in a few months because I did nothing (…) If there was the slightest proof against me, not simple testimonies bogus, real evidence, I would already be in jail,” he added.
According to the prosecutor of Mulhouse, “there were two indictments for acts of rape” on two ex-companions as well as a third “indictment for violence against a spouse”. As part of a fourth complaint filed by another ex-girlfriend who denounced acts of rape, Sofiane Bennacer was placed under the more favorable status of assisted witness.
Resignation from TNS
The National Theater of Strasbourg (TNS), where he had been admitted, had seized the Ministry of Culture of the facts “of sexist, sexual violence and harassment”, according to The Parisian. The Ministry of Culture then made a report to the courts, said the prosecutor, without specifying the date.
The actor was placed in detention under judicial supervision, said the prosecutor, meaning that his prosecution had initially requested his temporary placement. Benjamin Morel, administrator of the TNS indicated on Wednesday that “it was Sofiane Bennacer who made the decision to resign on February 19, 2021, after the allegations were brought to his meeting”.