Laurent Bigorgne, the former director of the Institut Montaigne, a liberal think tank, was sentenced Thursday, December 8 to twelve months suspended imprisonment and a fine of 2,000 euros, for having drugged his former beauty without his knowledge. -sister and collaborator at a party in February.
The criminal court considered that Laurent Bigorgne, a figure in the circles of power, had administered this drug “in order to commit rape or sexual assault against him”thus requalifying the facts.
The sentence pronounced is below the requisitions of the prosecution, which had requested on November 10 eighteen months of suspended imprisonment and an obligation of care, without retaining the sexual intention.
The former all-powerful boss was absent from the deliberations. His lawyer, Mr.e Sébastien Schapira, announced that he was going ” immediately “ appeal this “senseless, incoherent decision”.
“Full Recognition”
“It is an acknowledgment of what happened and the facts, and a complete recognition”greeted his ex-sister-in-law, Sophie Conrad, after the deliberation.
The latter had filed a complaint on the night of February 2 to 3, after a dinner at the home of Mr. Bigorgne, who was her superior, but also her sister’s ex-husband. After half a glass of champagne, she had experienced symptoms of taking drugs and had managed to leave the scene to go to the hospital.
An expert then revealed that she had taken MDMA, a synthetic drug from the family of amphetamines also called ecstasy. Placed in police custody, Laurent Bigorgne quickly admitted having taken cocaine that evening and poured MDMA into the glass of Mrs.me Conrad, but always disputed sexual intent. He resigned from the Institut Montaigne on February 27, after eleven years at its head.