French budget minister faces renewed probe into alleged rape

Paris prosecutor on Saturday reopened a preliminary investigation into allegedly rape by budget minister Gerarld Darmanin, local media reported.

A new inquiry was launched in January after a 46-year-old woman, called Sophie Spatz, filed a new lawsuit against Darmanin this month. She was heard by police earlier this week, news channel BFMTV said.

The prosecutor office launched an initial investigation in June 2017. The case was dropped a month after due to "lack of offense" and after the accuser did not respond to police summon for questioning.

The 46-year-old woman was accusing Darmanin, then mayor of Tourcoing, north France, of raping her in a hotel room in 2009.

The 35-year-old minister, rejected allegations and had filed a complaint, alleging false denunciation.

Shortly after the prosecutor's decision, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe's office expressed support and "all confidence" to the budget minister.

"Darmanin has been completely transparent about the facts. Justice ... must be able to work independently," it said.

Sexual harassment and scandals involving French politicians have been tainted the country's political scene. In 2011, a sex affair forced ex-finance minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn to resign as head of the International Monetary Fund, and drop eventual plan to join the French presidential race.

In the wake of the movie producer Harvey Weinstein affair which emerged last October, France was mulling a law to fight sexual harassment on the streets as well as extend the statute of limitation for rape of minors.