French investigators are examining allegations that more than 240 women were secretly drugged during job interviews conducted between 2011 and 2019 by Christian Nègre, a senior civil servant accused of drugging over 200 women, at various culture ministry offices across France.

The case, which spans nine years, centres on claims that women were unknowingly given drinks laced with a powerful diuretic, leaving them ill, distressed, and vulnerable during interviews that often continued outdoors.

The Investigation began in 2018 after a colleague reported Nègre for allegedly trying to photograph the legs of a senior official. Police later uncovered a spreadsheet labelled “Experiments”, where he had allegedly recorded drugging times and reactions.

Nègre, removed from the civil service in 2019, is under formal investigation for offences including drugging and sexual assault. His lawyer, Vanessa Stein, has said he will not comment while the probe continues.

Women who came forward described interviews where Nègre offered coffee or tea before leading them on long walks far from toilets.

Many recalled trembling, sweating, dizziness, or public humiliation as they struggled with sudden, overwhelming urges to urinate after drinking the spiked beverages.

“It was my dream to work at the culture ministry,” said Sylvie Delezenne, who accepted an interview invitation in 2015 and later learned she was one of the alleged victims. “At the time, I didn’t even know this type of attack existed.”

Others, including Anaïs de Vos and Émilie (a pseudonym), recounted similar experiences of distress, shame, and lasting emotional trauma.

Several women said the slow pace of the legal process has compounded their suffering. “Six years later, we’re still waiting for a trial, which is mind-blowing,” Émilie said. “The justice process is bringing more trauma than healing.”

Lawyer Louise Beriot, who represents several women, said the alleged druggings were “about power and domination over women’s bodies … through humiliation and control.”

The case has drawn attention to “chemical submission”, a term that gained recognition in France after the high-profile Pelicot case.

Some women have received compensation in a civil suit, while unions are urging the culture ministry to acknowledge systemic failures that allowed the alleged behaviour to continue for years.

Delezenne, who has since rebuilt her life and career in Lille, said her hope now is simple: “My priority is that this never happens to anyone else again.” (The Guardian UK)

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