Overview
- News reports made public on Thursday say a young campaign militant filed a rape complaint that alleges chemical submission and names Roman Abreu, the former communications director for Jean‑Michel Aulas’s municipal campaign.
- Véronique Sarselli, president of the Métropole de Lyon, told reporters she met three elected officials named in coverage and asked Jean‑Michel Aulas, Laure Cédat and Emmanuel Imberton to withdraw from their Métropole representative duties out of respect for the presumed victim and the institution.
- Jean‑Michel Aulas rejected the request in a joint statement with Laure Cédat, saying they are not implicated in the judicial procedure and noting he had removed the adviser from campaign premises after the woman first confided in February.
- The accused, identified in reporting as Roman Abreu, denies the allegation through his lawyer, who said he contests the claim and will cooperate with justice, while sources say the complainant had initially told officials in February but did not file a public complaint then.
- The dispute has opened a political rift between Aulas and Sarselli and puts the Métropole leadership under scrutiny as the judicial investigation proceeds, with party allies publicly backing Sarselli’s call for responsibility.