More than 240 women have accused a senior French civil servant of secretly drugging them during job interviews at the culture ministry, exposing a disturbing form of alleged abuse. As one alleged victim tells the Guardian, "At the time, I didn't even know this type of attack existed." The suspect, Christian Nègre, is alleged to have slipped an illegal diuretic into drinks he offered to job candidates over a nine-year period before suggesting walking interviews far from bathrooms. The women, many of whom say they were left humiliated and traumatized after being forced to urinate in public or soil themselves, are still waiting for a trial years after police were first alerted to the claims in 2018.
Investigators reportedly found a spreadsheet on Nègre's computer titled "P Experiments," documenting the times of the alleged druggings and the women's reactions, Le Monde reported in 2023. The file also contained photographs. Nègre was removed from the ministry and placed under formal investigation in 2019, but he has continued to work in the private sector while awaiting trial. The case has drawn attention to a broader pattern of drug-facilitated abuse in France, known as "chemical submission," highlighted in the Gisèle Pelicot case, and has raised questions about delays in the justice system.
"Six years later, we're still waiting for a trial, which is mind-blowing," one of the women tells the Guardian. "It feels like we're being victimized a second time," says another. Some have received compensation in a civil case against the state, but the culture ministry itself was not found to be at fault. A ministry spokesperson said it is committed to preventing harassment and supporting survivors. But the culture branch of the French trade union federation has called for the ministry to recognize its responsibility, noting there had been previous complaints from colleagues about Nègre's behavior.
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