Benalla in prison for "abusive and perhaps fraudulent use of his diplomatic passports, violence against demonstrators, a number of lies, there is now a contract with a Russian oligarch," says French media

Summary: Repeated violations of the law (some more severe than others) have landed Benalla in prison, but those who facilitated if not encouraged these violations continue to walk free and flee the media's radar

In part 1 and in part 2 of this "Benalla in prison" series (there are also videos [1, 2], with several more on the way) we urged the EPO's President, António Campinos, to take action. If he wants to show that things are changing at the EPO, former and some existing top-level officials will need to be charged or at least investigated in connection with Benalla's crimes. Is it always 'low-level' people who are subjected to the rule of law, whereas their bosses enjoy immunity and can thus act with impunity? On many occasions we saw Battistelli doing illegal things, ruining people's lives if not ending these lives.

Here is the latest (and for the time being last) translation, tied to this article with a video (in French):

Alexandre Benalla suspected of false testimony before the Senate: "I don't see how there can't be perjury", says Bruno Retailleau

Bruno Retailleau believes that the former Elysée head of mission lied under oath during his hearings before the Senate Inquiry Committee.

INTERVIEW

Alexandre Benalla spent the night in prison. The former bodyguard is accused of having violated his judicial control by meeting his colleague Vincent Crase. But he may also still have to report to the Senate, as the Senate Inquiry Committee plans to prosecute him for "perjury". "I don't see how there can't be perjury," Bruno Retailleau, the president of the LR group in the Senate, reacted on Wednesday and told Audrey Crespo-Mara on Europe 1.

"We are intractable." The two hearings of the former Elysée head of mission (the first in September and the second in January) revealed inconsistencies in his responses to senators. "We are intractable," asserts Bruno Retailleau. "We had a medical professor convicted a year ago, over a story about a Inquiry Commission on Air Pollution. He lied under oath. Every time we take to the court, and I don't see how the Law Commission could overlook that rule," continues the Senator from Vendée.

A prosecution case. Alexandre Benalla was remanded in custody at the Santé prison on Tuesday following Mediapart's disclosure, at the end of January, of clandestine recordings of a conversation between him and Vincent Crase, after the courts prohibited them from contacting each other in connection with the 1 May violence case. Alexandre Benalla's lawyer immediately denounced the severity of the judicial system. "He has nevertheless accumulated many things: abusive and perhaps fraudulent use of his diplomatic passports, violence against demonstrators, a number of lies, there is now a contract with a Russian oligarch," recalls Bruno Retailleau. And to conclude: "Don't you think that's a lot for an ordinary citizen?"

Previously in this saga:

• The Man Whose Actions Could Potentially Land Team Battistelli in Jail
• It Wasn't Judges With Weapons in Their Office, It Was Benoît Battistelli Who Brought Firearms to the European Patent Office (EPO)
• Alexandre Benalla, Macron's Violent Bodyguard, Was Also Battistelli's Bodyguard
• Benoît Battistelli Refuses to Talk to the Media About Bringing Firearms to the EPO
• Guest Post on Ronan Le Gleut and Benalla at the French Senate (in Light of Battistelli's Epic Abuses)
• French Media Confirms Alexandre Benalla Just One of Six Battistelli Bodyguards, Employed at the Cost of €8,000-€10,000 Per Month (for Benalla Alone!)
• Corrupt Battistelli Paid a Fortune (EPO Budget) for Outlaw/Rogue 'Bodyguards' From Firm Linked to Russian Oligarch Iskander Makhmudov
• Battistelli's Bodyguard, Part I: Destruction of Evidence by Alexandre Benalla
• Battistelli's Bodyguard, Part II: Fishing Expedition for Sources in the Alexandre Benalla 'Underworld' Scandal
• Battistelli's Bodyguard, Part III: Mars, France Close Protection (Benalla's Family), and Russian Oligarchy
• Battistelli's Bodyguard, Part IV: Suspected Offenses of Forgery and Possible Falsification
• Battistelli's Bodyguard, Part V: Mediapart Explains the 'Raid' Attempt, Reporters Without Borders Involved
• Outline/Index of the Alexandre Benalla/Battistelli Scandal
• António Campinos Still Needs to Hold Team Battistelli Accountable for Illegally Bringing Weapons to the EPO

We have more on the way and we invite readers to send us anything they deem relevant. ⬆