Liana case: French Justice Minister refuses to resign despite scandal
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has rejected any idea of resignation following the scandal surrounding the murder of Liana, 11 years old, who was abducted and killed by a man placed under judicial supervision for sexual violence. The main suspect had been reported by the mother of another gi
Liana case: French Justice Minister refuses to resign despite scandal
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has ruled out any possibility of resigning in the midst of a scandal triggered by the murder of Liana, an 11-year-old girl, who was abducted and killed by a man who was under judicial supervision in connection with a case of sexual violence against minors.
According to CNN Greece, Liana's body was discovered on Friday 5 June 2026 in a grain silo located in south-west France. The child had been reported missing.
The main suspect is a man who had been reported by the mother of another 11-year-old girl for rapes committed between September 2024 and May 2025. The complaint was filed on 22 August 2025. Following forensic medical examinations that confirmed the girl's account, the Toulouse public prosecutor's office referred the case to another judicial authority.
The file, sent by post at the end of 2025, was not received until 9 January 2026 by the gendarmerie service in charge of the investigation. "If it takes us nine months to either not place someone in detention or not even hear from this person, I conclude that our public justice system is broken," Darmanin said at a press conference following a meeting with prosecutors general to ask them to "review all proceedings involving children" in France, numbering around 70,000.
These statements come on the eve of a march in memory of Liana, in which thousands of people will take part.
The main suspect's brother, Jérôme M., was remanded in custody today as part of an investigation into rape of a minor, unlawful detention and threats.
Judges at the Bobigny court (Paris region) accused the minister this evening of "hypocrisy" regarding the handling of cases related to violence against children and "abandonment of child protection services".
Despite an increase in the Justice budget in recent years, it does not offset a structural shortfall, according to Frédéric Sévillé, president of the National Conference of Prosecutors: France has three prosecutors per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with an average of 12.2 in Europe.
The case is difficult for Gérald Darmanin, a pillar of the government and its most popular member, which would have allowed him to harbour ambitions for the 2027 presidential election. Under attacks from opposition parties, he rejected the idea of resigning because "these shortcomings have nothing to do with the directives given by the ministry".
The president of the French National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet called for the inclusion on the National Assembly's agenda of a draft law on sexual and sexist violence, supported by around a hundred deputies.
"Every three minutes, a child is a victim of sexual violence. One in two women has already suffered sexual violence during their lifetime. Only 1% of rapes and 1% of incest cases result in conviction," reminded Socialist Party deputy Céline Timbert-Martin, rapporteur on the text.
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)