The mother of a girl whose report about a rape was not acted upon for months has filed a complaint against French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, her lawyer Pierre Debuisson told dpa.
The complaint accuses the minister of wilful endangerment of the lives of others and failure to render assistance. It was submitted on Monday to the Cour de justice de la République, a special court empowered to prosecute and convict government members.
The mother had reported a man in August 2025 for the rape of her then ten-year-old daughter, referred to only as Rosa. The man was not arrested or questioned by investigators at the time.
He has since been suspected for several weeks of having raped and killed an 11-year-old, whose body was found in early June. The case has triggered debate in France about alleged failures by the authorities and politicians.
Justice Minister Darmanin has so far resisted calls to resign and does not consider himself guilty of serious misconduct.
An ad hoc inquiry by a working group commissioned by several ministries found shortcomings 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 supervision of the proceedings. This has so far resulted in disciplinary proceedings against a deputy public prosecutor.
The complaint now filed identifies failures on Darmanin's part. The lawyer said the minister had done nothing during his years in office to address problems in the fight against child abuse.
