Facing justice. Tuesday, in Lille, Adrien Quatennens, ex-number two of La France insoumise, appears in a procedure of “plead-guilty” for having slapped his wife and having sent her repeated SMS. It is the judicial epilogue of a case which put him under the ban of politics and caused an earthquake on the left and in the rebellious ranks. Judged in court on prior admission of guilt, the elected representative of the North could be fined “a fine”, even “an awareness course” on domestic violence, according to his entourage.
According to his lawyer, Me Jade Dousselin, he is on trial for two facts, which he acknowledges: a slap in the face to his wife “more than a year ago” in a context of “mutual aggressiveness”, as well as text messages sent after the couple separated and “whose absence of maliciousness” has “been recognized”. The Lille prosecutor’s office did not wish to confirm the details of the facts retained and which will give rise to sanctions.
Quatennens was summoned at 8:30 a.m. by the public prosecutor, who offered him a sentence. If he accepts it, it will have to be approved by a judge during a public hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. This judge can reject the sentence, which would therefore result in the dismissal of the MP before a criminal court.
A complaint after two handrails
His wife Céline, who filed a complaint in September after having first filed two handrails, denounced two months later in a press release the “physical and psychological violence” exerted for “several years” by her husband, evoking “his anger and “his crises”.
The deputy from the North has not spoken since the revelation of the affair in mid-September in the chained duck, apart from a long statement on Twitter to announce his withdrawal from the post of LFI coordinator. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who had initially shown his support for his foal, provoking the anger of feminist activists and a crisis at LFI, has not spoken since these new accusations. “A violent man cannot represent women victims of violence on French territory”, for its part estimated the feminist collective #NousToutes in a press release Monday, demanding his “immediate resignation”.
Socialist and environmentalist allies of LFI have called for the resignation of the deputy. Once the sentence has been pronounced, the question will arise of whether or not Quatennens will return to the hemicycle, as well as his place within the parliamentary group. The member of Lille remains for the moment excluded from the activities of his parliamentary group.
The person concerned, he “intends to return”, but he will comply with the “conditions submitted by the group”, affirms his entourage.