French director Christophe Ruggia, who stands accused of sexually assaulting the actress Adele Haenel when she was a minor, was formally indicted by Paris prosecutors today.
Ruggia was placed in custody on Tuesday (January 14) and questioned by investigators. After he was held for the maximum of 48 hours, the director was today charged with “sexual assaults on a 15-year-old minor by a person having authority” after appearing in front of a judge, as reported by various French sources including AFP and Le Monde.
Back in November, in a bombshell investigation by Paris-based journal Mediapart, actress Haenel stated that Ruggia sexually harassed her from the age of 12 after being cast in his film The Devils. She initially said she would not pursue legal action as she believed “justice ignores” victims in her situation, but reversed this decision and filed an official police complaint later that month.
The 55-year-old filmmaker initially denied the accusations but has since asked for Haenel’s forgiveness.