The Minister of Sports, Amélie Ouséa-Castéra, was indicted last December. The procedure comes as part of an investigation opened after the complaint of the former president of the French Football Federation, Noël Le Graët.
Amélie Oudéa-Castéra continues to be at the heart of scandal or legal cases. The Minister of Sports was indicted last December for defamation after the complaint filed by Noël Le Graët. If the indictment dates back a few months, the information was confirmed this Thursday March 14 by the general prosecutor’s office of the Court of Cassation to AFP. The procedure takes place as part of the investigation by the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR), the only body authorized to judge ministers in office, opened since June.
Noël Le Graët, who was president of the French Football Federation (FFF) until January 2023, criticizes the minister for criticizing her management of the Federation. The last months of Noël Le Graët at the head of the FFF were marked by several accusations of harassment made by collaborators and by the publication of an audit by the General Inspectorate of Education, Sport and Research ( IGESR). This report singled out the management of the Federation by the octogenarian who “no longer has the legitimacy necessary to administer and represent French football” reports Le Parisien. But according to Noël Le Graët’s lawyer, the inspectors behind the report “were manipulated, forced by their minister”, that is to say Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.
The Minister of Sports defended herself against accusations of defamation. “I find this distressing, I never insulted anyone, I remained polite, I never accused him of harassment. This defense strategy does not fool many people” Amélie Oudéa-Castéra has already declared on RTL on March 1st. “It was the prosecutor who sovereignly decided to open an investigation into acts of moral and sexual harassment” on the basis of this inspection report, she added, clearing herself of all responsibility.
