The European Union & It's Problems.

[BIAD]

Former Macron aide Benalla placed under formal investigation over illegal diplomatic passport use.



'A former top security aide to French President Emmanuel Macron, who was at the heart of a scandal
this summer, was placed under formal investigation Friday with the illegal use of diplomatic passports.

Alexandre Benalla, 27, was taken into police custody on Thursday after revelations last month that he
had continued to travel on a diplomatic passport after being fired in August. He already faces criminal
charges after he was filmed roughing up protesters on May Day last year while wearing a police helmet.

Revelations over the summer that Macron's office knew about that incident but kept Benalla in his job
led to furious accusations from political opponents of a presidential cover-up.

In recent weeks it has emerged that Benalla retained two diplomatic and two service passports after
losing his job, using them to travel to Africa for meetings with top officials including Chadian President
Idriss Deby Itno.

Benalla says he has been working legitimately as a business consultant...'

An ex-night-club bouncer, promoted somehow to bodyguard to a Presidential-hopeful and then made into
a top security aide visits Chad for use of his business experience?!

'...But some officials fear he has been attempting to profit from his former insider status, and last month
he received a sharp warning against any breach of confidentiality.

Benalla's lawyer said he was charged at a court hearing Friday with unauthorised use of professional
documents. But he was not charged with forgery, an allegation levelled by Macron's chief of staff Patrick
Strzoda...'

A Chief of Staff making an allegation that has no basis?

'....Benalla has claimed that he returned the passports shortly after his sacking but that they were handed
back to him by an official in the presidency in October.

Appearing before a Senate committee probing the affair, Strzoda said Wednesday that Benalla had used
his diplomatic passports "some 20 times" over the past six months.

A former bouncer, Benalla began working as a bodyguard for Macron during his election campaign in 2016
before being promoted to a senior security role in the presidential palace in May 2017....'

SOURCE:

A glimpse into the dark goings-on between France and a once-French territory about terrorism, me-thinks.