Suspect indicted in sexual abuse case at French Catholic school

​​​​​​​By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - A suspect was indicted Friday in connection with allegations of violence and sexual abuse at Notre-Dame de Betharram, a Catholic school in France, amid claims that Prime Minister Francois Bayrou ignored warnings about the abuse during his tenure as education minister.

Three former staff members of the private school, a priest and two lay supervisors, were taken into custody earlier this week as part of an ongoing investigation into "aggravated rape, aggravated sexual assault, and aggravated violence," Le Parisien reported.

Only one of them, a 59-year-old former supervisor, however, now faces charges, including child sexual abuse.

He has been referred to the Pau Judicial Court for further proceedings.

- 2 suspects released due to statute of limitations

The two other suspects, born in 1931 and 1955, were released due to the statute of limitations on the alleged offenses, Pau Prosecutor Rodolphe Jarry confirmed.

The 59-year-old suspect remained employed at the school until last year before being dismissed following the opening of the judicial inquiry.

- Bayrou accused of ignoring abuse allegations

An investigation by Mediapart earlier this month alleged that Bayrou, who served as education minister from 1993 to 1997, was aware of reports of sexual and physical abuse at the school but failed to act.

Former mathematics teacher Francoise Gullung, who taught at the school from 1994 - 1996, claimed in a video published by Mediapart that she wrote to Bayrou about the mistreatment of students but never received a response.

She recounted a 1995 conversation in Pau where she warned Bayrou about the severity of the situation, to which he allegedly responded: "Yes, we are being dramatic."

Gullung also described an encounter with Bayrou’s wife, Elisabeth, who was a catechism teacher at the school.

She recalled hearing a child being beaten in a classroom and asking Elisabeth Bayrou what could be done.

According to Gullung, Bayrou’s wife dismissed her concerns, saying there was “nothing to be gained from these children” and implied that the treatment was normal.

Bayrou, the mayor of Pau and a key ally of President Emmanuel Macron, denied the allegations in a parliamentary speech on Feb. 11, stating that he was never informed of any accusations of violence or sexual abuse at the school during his time as minister.

The investigation, launched last year, follows complaints from 112 former students regarding alleged abuse at the school between 1960 and 2011.