French Secretary of State for Development to Remain in Office Despite Rape Scandal

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, the French Secretary of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships, who has been accused of rape three times, has retained her position in the French government, the documents published by the Elysee Palace revealed on Monday.

According to the list of new government members, Zacharopoulou will continue to serve as secretary of state at the French Foreign Ministry.

Zacharopoulou previously worked as a gynecologist. The Paris Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation on May 27 after a complaint from one of her former patients filed on May 25. Two more women followed suit and filed their complaints on June 16 and June 23.

Meanwhile, French Minister of Solidarity and People with Disabilities at the French Ministry of Health, Damien Abad, who was also accused of sexual violence on June 27, was not included in the new French government after the reshuffle, according to documents released by the Elysee Palace.

The reshuffle of the government follows the French parliamentary elections, which took place on June 12 and 19 where the governing coalition won 245 of the 577 seats, falling 44 seats short of what is needed to form a government single-handedly. Jean-Luc Melenchon's left coalition secured 131 seats and Marine Le Pen's right-wing National Rally came in third with 89 seats. The results left French President Emmanuel Macron with no absolute majority in both houses of the French parliament.