Rima Hassan files legal complaint against French interior minister over drug leak

The legal complaint before the Court of Justice

European lawmaker Rima Hassan filed a formal complaint against French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez before the Court of Justice of the Republic on Friday, 18 September 2026. The legal filing charges the interior minister with the violation of investigation secrecy following allegations that he spread false claims regarding her police custody in April. Her lawyer, Vincent Brengarth, announced the legal action during a press conference and categorized the situation as a state scandal. Brengarth argued that ministerial confirmation lent false credibility to statements that harmed Hassan's personal and political reputation. The Court of Justice of the Republic is the special French judicial body tasked with hearing criminal cases against serving government ministers.

“He participated in giving weight and credit to information that did not conform to reality, which discredited Rima Hassan and damaged her reputation.”

Television investigation and false drug allegations

The complaint stems from reporting broadcast on the France 2 investigative television programme Complément d'enquête. The investigative report stated that Nuñez spoke to journalists without microphones or cameras in a train bar carriage and confirmed detailed claims about synthetic drugs. The discussion concerned assertions that police had recovered a cocaine derivative from Hassan's personal belongings during her detention in April for allegedly advocating terrorism. Subsequent verification confirmed that the claims were false and that the lawmaker carried no illegal substances during her custody. The disclosure challenged the reputation for administrative caution previously associated with the interior minister.

Ministerial defence and denial of media leaks

Nuñez responded to the broadcast revelations on Thursday, rejecting accusations that he improperly leaked sensitive case material. He stated that journalists had already obtained the full claims when they approached him for an off-the-record discussion on the train. The interior minister insisted that his remarks did not constitute a coordinated press disclosure or an intentional breach of judicial confidentiality. He maintained that he was simply responding to questions in an informal setting outside official briefings.

“I did not cause any leaks in the press.”

Escalating political backlash and parliamentary referral

The controversy prompted swift condemnation from the left-wing party La France Insoumise, which described the minister's explanation as an admission of wrongdoing. Lawmakers from the party escalated their response by referring the case to the Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation for violations of the secrecy of judicial inquiries. Party figures demanded political accountability, with deputy Antoine Léaument calling directly for Nuñez to resign from his cabinet position. Jean-Luc Mélenchon commented on the social network X that covert state operations were directing government actions, while deputy Gabrielle Cathala pledged that parliamentary pressure on the minister would continue.

“When a minister helps give credibility to a false narrative against a political opponent, it must be seen as an affair of state.”

David Gouard, a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Toulouse-Jean Jaurès, described the dispute as advantageous for La France Insoumise. Gouard explained that the controversy aligns with the party's established electoral strategy of political polarization and reinforces its arguments that state authorities use illegitimate methods against opposition figures.