Third woman accuses French minister Damien Abad of sexual assault

France's Minister for Solidarity, Autonomy and Disabled People, Damien Abad, is facing fresh accusations of sexual violence as he runs for a new term in office in legislative elections.

The investigative website Mediapart on Tuesday reported accusations from a woman who says Abad tried to rape her in 2010. He denies the claims.

Laëtitia, not her real name, met Abad in 2009 when he was national president of the movement Federation of Young Centrists political movement, to which she belonged.

She alleges that Abad – at that time a Europen lawmaker – tried to rape her during a party at his home in Paris after having offered her a drink with “something suspicious” in it.

Laëtitia says she went to the toilet to spit out the mouthful she had consumed, and that when she came out Abad was waiting for her. He then tried to force her to perform oral sex on him, she alleges.

Thanks to the irruption of a fellow guest, Laëtitia says she was able "to get rid" of her aggressor and to leave the room.

Denials

Abad, 42, has refuted the allegations, which he says are politically motivated. Speaking to AFP, he denounced the "carefully chosen timing” of Mediapart's story and the "bias" of its investigation.

"As for the allegations reported, they outrage me and I refute them categorically," he added.

A former president of the Republicans political group in the National Assembly, Abad was elected to the French lower house in 2017.

The MP, who had already been accused of raping two women in 2010 and 2011, suffers from arthrogryposis – a rare condition that he claims limits his movement.

Abad denies all allegations of sexual violence levelled against him.

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