Key facts
- Nearly 250 women accuse Christian Nègre, a senior French civil servant, of drugging them.
- Alleged incidents occurred between 2009 and 2018 during job interviews.
- Victims report experiencing uncontrollable urges to urinate and physical weakness.
- Police believe Nègre used diuretics to induce these situations.
- Nègre is under formal investigation for drugging, invasion of privacy, and sexual assault.
- A spreadsheet on Nègre's computer reportedly documented alleged victims and the incidents.
Nearly 250 women have accused Christian Nègre, a senior civil servant at France's Ministry of Culture, of drugging them with diuretics during job interviews between 2009 and 2018. The alleged victims report experiencing sudden, uncontrollable urges to urinate, often in public, and feeling physically weak and disoriented.
Anaïs de Vos, one of the accusers, described an incident in 2011 where she suspects Nègre drugged her coffee. She felt an urgent need to urinate and was directed by Nègre to a public space. She eventually urinated in a cafe restroom, feeling physically drained afterward. She was later contacted by police investigating Nègre.
Marie-Hélène Brice shared a similar experience from 2016, where she felt an uncontrollable urge to urinate during a walk with Nègre in Strasbourg. She was forced to urinate in public while Nègre watched.
Police investigations, prompted by Nègre being caught photographing a woman in 2018, revealed a spreadsheet on his computer titled 'Experiments P', which allegedly detailed the victims and the incidents. Nègre, who was suspended and later sacked, is now under formal investigation for charges including drugging, invasion of privacy, and sexual assault.
French MP Sandrine Josso is advocating for better support for victims of chemical submission and has supported a pilot program for drug testing. However, the effectiveness of such programs can be limited, especially for substances like diuretics which may not be detectable long after administration.