Ex-Macron bodyguard Benalla in custody over use of diplomatic passports – prosecutor

French President Emmanuel Macron’s former security officer and deputy chief of staff Alexandre Benalla used diplomatic passports nearly 20 times after his dismissal from the Élysée.

This was announced on Wednesday in front of the Senate Law Commission by Macron’s chief of staff, Patrick Strzoda.

“We now know that Mr. Benalla used these passports almost 20 times between August 1, 2018 and December 31,” said Strzoda, indicating that he had just learnt this new information. “The first use was from August 1 to 7” and then the documents were used again in October, November and December.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, confirmed on Wednesday that according to “corroborating evidence”, passports had been used by Benalla “on many occasions and as early as August”.

Media reports shortly before Christmas revealed that Benalla still had diplomatic passports and was travelling on business with African leaders.

According to the newspaper Le Monde, Benalla travelled to N’djamena in Chad on December 5 and 6 with “half a dozen people by private plane”, three weeks before Macron’s official state visit to the country.

Benalla explained that this was a business trip, involving investment projects in Chad with “big bosses from the Middle East”. He then met with Chadian President Idriss Déby for two hours.

Le Drian first learnt of Benalla’s trip to Chad on December 24, he told the Senate committee investigating the Benalla case. He then referred the matter to the public prosecutor for the unlawful use of diplomatic passports by the former Élysée adviser.

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