French authorities probe rape allegations of woman who was part of President Macron’s military staff

French prosecutors have opened an inquiry to investigate allegations of a female soldier who was part of President Emmanuel Macron’s defence staff.

According to French media, the woman was allegedly raped by a colleague at a party at the president's Élysée Palace in July.

According to reports, Macron was present at the farewell party, but shortly left after giving a brief speech.

Some of the guests later went on to the premises of the president's personal military staff in an annex to the palace, which is where the sexual attack allegedly took place.

The young woman immediately went to a nearby police station after the alleged assault and reported the rape that night.

The alleged victim and attacker were colleagues and deployed at the high-security office at the Élysée Palace dealing with sensitive government matters.

A presidential official told the AFP news agency that “as soon as the authorities were aware of these claims, measures were immediately taken” to support the alleged victim.

Both the woman and the accused have been moved to other duties, the palace has said.

Macron’s office would await judicial investigations before deciding on any further action, an official told news agencies.

Macron has vowed to tackle the problem of violence against women, and his government introduced a new law setting the age of consent at 15 in response to the scandals this March.

He is expected to stand for a second term as president in elections scheduled for April 2022, although he has yet to declare his candidacy.

(With inputs from agencies)