Nearly 250 women have accused Christian Négre, a former HR chief at France’s culture ministry, of drugging them during job interviews to humiliate them. Eight years after the case surfaced, the investigation is still open and no trial date has been set.
DR reported on August 20, 2026 that the number of women accusing the former senior civil servant continues to rise. The women say Négre put diuretics in the coffee he served them before job interviews. Most of the alleged incidents took place between 2009 and 2018.
According to DR, the investigation began in June 2018, when a colleague walked into Négre’s office at the culture ministry. Négre was photographing a woman under a table. The case has been covered in French media for years, including by the newspaper Libération.
Several accounts follow the same pattern. The women were offered coffee, then invited on a walk that lasted for hours. Anaïs de Vos, who was interviewed in July 2011, told BBC that she felt like a child and eventually wet herself before reaching a cafe restroom.
Marie-Hélène Brice, interviewed in Strasbourg in 2016, told BBC that she urinated in public while Négre offered his jacket as cover. She described him watching her without looking away. Both women said they lost control of their bodies during the walks.
Per de Vos, police found a spreadsheet on Négre’s computer in 2018 titled “Experiment P.” It listed the women, their arrival times, when the substance was given, how long it took before they urinated, and what underwear they wore.
A February 2026 press release from the Tribunal de Paris stated that the inquiry opened on June 19, 2018, and that computer files led investigators to a table of 181 interviews. Négre was placed under formal investigation in October 2019 and again in 2023. The court said 248 victims had been identified.
As reported by BFM TV in February 2026, the Paris prosecutor’s office said the investigation was expected to conclude by the end of 2026 and urged remaining victims to come forward. The allegations concern administration of a harmful substance, invasion of privacy and sexual assault.
France 24 has reported that Négre admitted in 2018 to having subjected women to humiliating situations. He was dismissed by the ministry the following year. Fondation des Femmes, which has supported 30 of the women with lawyers, states that he continued working in HR afterward.
Jørn Boisen, a lecturer in French politics and history at the University of Copenhagen, told DR that the case reflects a system failure in the French administration. He noted that complaints were handled by Négre himself, the person accused of the abuse. Boisen also pointed to the power gap between an HR chief and job applicants.
The New York Times reported in May 2026 that police were investigating accusations that Négre slipped diuretics into drinks served to more than 100 women. The figure has grown as more women have come forward. Négre remains under investigation and is still awaiting trial.
