A dramatic accusation in France: a politician drugged a colleague to sexually assault him

The court in Paris yesterday (Tuesday) handed down a heavy sentence to Joel Griot, a 68-year-old former French senator, who was convicted of drugging another politician with the aim of sexually assaulting her. Gerio was convicted of possessing drugs and drugging Sandrine Joso, a member of the National Assembly, in order to sexually assault or rape her. He was sentenced to a year and a half in actual prison, an additional two and a half years of probation, and an obligation to undergo psychological treatment. In addition, he is prohibited from holding any elected public office.

The case attracted a lot of attention in the French media, due to the fact that it joins a series of cases in which drugs were used with the aim of committing sexual assaults, an issue that was in the headlines mainly after the case of the drugging and rape of Giselle Felico, who became a key figure in the fight against sexual violence.

The incident took place in November 2023, when Griot invited Jossou, a 50-year-old member of parliament, to his apartment in Paris in honor of his political achievements. The two had known each other for years and were on friendly terms. During the evening, Josue drank champagne served to her by Gerio, and later experienced unusual symptoms, including rapid heartbeat, nausea and feeling confused.

“I felt like I was slipping,” Josu said in court, “I was so confused, I didn’t understand what was happening to me.” Later, she noticed that Gario had taken her glass into the kitchen and was holding a “small bag” in his hand, which made her realize that she was probably drugged.

Josu said that she tried to hide the signs of the drug’s effect, but soon she began to feel them more clearly. “I was very thirsty, my legs were shaking,” she described her situation in court, “I felt that I was not in control of my body.” She managed to escape the apartment and took a taxi to a friend’s house, while she was on the phone with another member of parliament with whom she was on good terms.

Subsequent blood tests revealed that the level of MDMA (an ecstasy-type drug) in her blood was much higher than the levels normally found in recreational drug users.

After the incident, Josu testified that she experienced prolonged mental trauma that includes panic attacks, difficulty sleeping, difficulty eating and strong mental stress. She even said that sometimes she would suffer from a feeling of fear on stairs or on the train. “I can’t keep quiet about it,” she said in court, “I want the truth to come out, it’s important to me.”

During his testimony in court, Grieu appeared confused at times and lacked a clear memory of the events, according to some reports. He claimed that he was suffering from depression at the time the incidents took place, and that he does not remember the entire chain of events. Griot resigned from his position in the Senate in October, and he claims that he did so for political reasons and without regard to the legal proceedings.

He admitted in court what he called “stupidity” and “ignorance” regarding drug use. Griot said another senator gave him MDMA powder a few months earlier but he did not use it.

He said that the night before Josu visited him, he had put the drug in a glass intending to use it himself, but changed his mind and put it aside. A day later, he “accidentally” used the same glass to serve Josu a drink, he said.

“I have no words. It’s very serious,” Grieu said in court, “I’m broken.” The investigators noted that about a month before the incident, Gerio searched the Internet for information about drug use, including ecstasy, also in the context of rape. Griot said the searches were “part of his work as a senator and were intended to help him understand the issue better”.

Gario’s lawyers indicated that they plan to appeal the verdict. Most likely, they will insist that it was a mistake and that there was no malicious intent on his part.