A senior French government official allegedly drugged more than 200 women during job interviews – spiking their drinks with a powerful diuretic so they would lose control of their bladders.
Christian Nègre, who held senior roles at France‘s culture ministry, is under formal investigation over claims he laced coffees and teas before taking candidates on long ‘walking interviews’, knowing the drug would leave them suddenly needing the toilet.
Police say they uncovered a spreadsheet labelled ‘Experiments’, allegedly detailing dates, doses and the reactions of women who were simply applying for ministry jobs.
Many reported trembling, dizziness, humiliation and, in several cases, being forced to urinate in public or wetting their clothes.
One of the women, marketing expert Sylvie Delezenne, had travelled to Paris in 2015 believing she was on the brink of her dream job.
Instead, she says she was marched around the Tuileries gardens while growing increasingly ill and begging for a toilet break.
Eventually, she was forced to crouch beside a tunnel to relieve herself as Nègre ‘shielded’ her with his jacket – a moment she says left her devastated.
Another candidate, Anaïs de Vos, recalled Nègre looking her ‘straight in the eye’ and bizarrely asking whether she ‘needed a wee’ before refusing her access to a toilet. She later wet herself as she struggled up the stairs of a café.
A senior French government official allegedly drugged more than 200 women during job interviews – spiking their drinks with a powerful diuretic so they would lose control of their bladders. Pictured: A stock image of the French National Police sign
A third woman said she nearly fainted during a two-hour interview walk in Strasbourg after repeatedly being denied a bathroom.
The allegations came to light in 2018 when a colleague reported Nègre for attempting to photograph a senior official’s legs.
Police then uncovered evidence pointing to a years-long pattern of drug-facilitated abuse – known in France as ‘chemical submission’ – a form of assault that has drawn growing national attention.
Despite being removed from the civil service in 2019, Nègre has been able to continue working in the private sector while the case drags on.
Louise Beriot, a lawyer for several of the women, said of the alleged druggings: ‘Under the pretext of a sexual fantasy, this is about power and domination over women’s bodies … through humiliation and control.’
Lawyers representing several of the women say the six-year delay in bringing the case to trial amounts to ‘secondary victimisation’, compounding the trauma of those involved.
Some women have received compensation from the state in a civil case, although the culture ministry itself was not found to be at fault.
Unions have since accused the ministry of allowing a ‘systemic problem’ to go unchecked, claiming staff had previously complained about Nègre taking photos of women’s legs during meetings.
Many victims say the long wait for justice has left them angry and exhausted. Delezenne, who has been diagnosed with PTSD, says she spent years blaming herself and avoiding job applications altogether.
‘My priority,’ she said, ‘is that this never happens to anyone else again’.