19.08.2026 13:31
An investigation is underway in France into Christian Nègre, a former senior civil servant, over allegations that he gave diuretic drugs to women attending job interviews to control them and subjected them to degrading situations. It has been reported that Nègre is awaiting trial in connection with the incidents, in which around 250 women are considered victims in the investigation.
In July 2011, Anaïs, who was 27 at the time, went for an interview for a job at the French Ministry of Culture in Paris. She accepted a coffee offered by the senior civil servant conducting the interview, Christian Nègre. Anaïs, who noted she does not normally drink coffee, said she drank it out of politeness.
Speaking to the BBC, Anaïs said, “He made the coffee himself, but it tasted bad. So I drank half of it.” The interview began in the office, but a few minutes later, Nègre suggested they go outside. While they were walking through the streets of Paris, Anaïs began to feel an uncontrollable need to urinate.
The woman said she told Nègre she urgently needed to go to the toilet, adding, “He looked me straight in the eyes and said, ‘Do you need to pee?’”
Anaïs stated that she was disturbed by Nègre's look, saying, “I felt like a child. The way he looked at me, his almost joyful look, was really very strange.”
ALLEGEDLY SAID “YOU CAN DO IT HERE”
Anaïs claimed that Nègre led her to the door of a storage cupboard under a bridge over the Seine River and said, “You can do it here.”
Anaïs's experience became part of a comprehensive investigation that emerged years later. Nègre is suspected of giving drugs to women who came for job interviews between 2009 and 2018, causing them to urinate uncontrollably.
Anaïs states that approximately 250 women, including herself, may have been similarly victimized by Nègre.
In France, cases of drug-facilitated sexual assault gained widespread public attention in 2024, after Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband was found guilty of drugging her and inviting men to the house to rape her while she was unconscious.
DESCRIBED THE FEAR SHE EXPERIENCED WHILE SEARCHING FOR A TOILET
Anaïs described the fear she felt while walking with Nègre in these words:
“I started to panic. I imagined him pushing me into a room and closing the door behind me.”
The pair walked towards the Louvre to relieve her need. However, using the toilet cost 1 euro, and Anaïs had left her wallet at the ministry office. Nègre said he had no cash on him.
Anaïs, who was in great pain from trying to hold in her urine, finally found a café that allowed her to use its toilet.
“As I approached the bathroom, I lost control and urinated,” said Anaïs, adding that she felt physically very weak at that moment.
Recalling the incident in 2011, Anaïs stated she found consolation in the fact that at least Nègre was out of her sight while she urinated.
“At least he didn't see me,” said Anaïs, adding, “I was grateful I was wearing a dress.”
“SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED THAT DAY”
Anaïs said that after spending about three hours with Nègre, she felt dizzy and exhausted. She was not hired. Although she suspected Nègre's behavior, she could not understand for a long time what had bothered her so much.
Anaïs recounted that the events damaged her self-confidence and that in the following years, she set smaller goals for herself in her career.
In 2019, she received a letter from the police. When she spoke with the police, she learned that Nègre was suspected of giving drugs to women during job interviews at the ministry, and that she might be one of those women.
“I was shocked. But knowing I wasn't crazy made me happy. Something had happened that day,” she said.
As the investigation progressed, many other women also came forward.
POLICE SUSPECTED DIURETIC DRUGS
The police suspected that Nègre used diuretics, which are used to treat various health conditions including high blood pressure and cause the body to produce more urine.
Anaïs also said she suspected that something might have been added to her drink on the day she met Nègre, but she dismissed the thought, saying, “The Ministry of Culture. It's not possible.”
Anaïs said the police told her they had found a spreadsheet on Nègre's computer titled “Experiments P” containing information about the alleged victims.
According to the claim, the spreadsheet included information about the time the women arrived for their interviews, when the diuretic drug was administered, the time it took for them to urinate after the drug, and details about the underwear they were wearing.
Looking back, Anaïs thinks the strange taste of the coffee Nègre prepared might have been because a diuretic substance was added to the drink.
INVESTIGATION BEGAN IN 2018
According to a statement made by the prosecutor's office in February this year, the investigation into Nègre began in June 2018 when a colleague caught him taking a photo of a woman from under a table.
Nègre was first suspended from his position as regional director of cultural affairs, and then dismissed by the Ministry of Culture in 2019.
Prosecutors stated that in 2018, Nègre told investigators that he had “caused humiliating situations” for women during job interviews.
Most of the women say they first realized they were victims when the police contacted them. Some others came forward after seeing news reports about the experiences of Anaïs and other victims.
Nègre, who is in his 60s, is under official investigation on charges of administering drugs, violating privacy, and sexual assault. It was stated that Nègre is awaiting trial.
The BBC sent the allegations in the report to Nègre through his lawyer, but Nègre declined to comment.
ANOTHER WOMAN EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR INCIDENT
Another woman named in Nègre's notes was Marie-Hélène Brice.
It was reported that Nègre interviewed Brice in 2016 for a job at the Ministry of Culture during his time serving in Strasbourg.
Brice recounted that Nègre told her she seemed stressed and suggested they take a walk outside to “calm her nerves.”
However, while walking along the canal, Marie-Hélène, like Anaïs, began to feel an uncontrollable need to urinate. The situation quickly became painful.
Marie-Hélène stated that Nègre told her there was a public toilet nearby, but when they arrived at the spot, there was no toilet to be found.
“I had started to really suffer a lot.”
My pain was so intense that I had turned completely white, tears streaming from my eyes like a flood,” she said.
Marie-Hélène said she had no choice but to urinate in a public space. She stated that Nègre offered to protect her by using his jacket.
“I was so ashamed. He never took his eyes off me,” she said.
Marie-Hélène described feeling shame for years because of what happened.
Like Anaïs, she was sought by police years later and learned that she was believed to be among Nègre's victims.
“It was a huge shock,” she said.
“I WAS ASSAULTED, DRUGS WERE GIVEN TO ME”
Marie-Hélène said that following the events, she experienced not only psychological distress but also urinary problems.
Drawing attention to the fact that what victims of sexual assault experience does not always align with general societal perception, Marie-Hélène stated that she had no doubt about what happened to her:
“I was assaulted, drugs were given to me, I was poisoned, but for me, this is clearly a sexual assault.”
NEW PROGRAM IN FRANCE AGAINST DRUG-FACILITATED ASSAULTS
The issue of drug use was also raised by French MP Sandrine Josso.
Josso became a prominent figure on this issue after French senator Joël Guerriau was accused of adding ecstasy to her drink with the intent of sexually assaulting her.
Josso argues that France has long failed to provide adequate support to women subjected to having drugs or medication administered to them, and that perpetrators are not sufficiently prosecuted.
Under Josso's leadership, a pilot program was launched this year. As part of the program, women who suspect they were given drugs can have their blood, urine, or hair samples tested in laboratories without having to file an official complaint with the police.
In a statement to the BBC, Josso said, “People are mobilizing, victims are reporting more, filing more complaints, and that is important.”
DRUGS ARE DIFFICULT TO DETECT
However, the passage of a long time since the events poses a significant problem for investigations.
Anaïs, Marie-Hélène, and many other victims of Nègre did not suspect at the time that they had been given drugs. Therefore, because tests were not conducted immediately after the drugs were administered, it may not be possible to detect the substances in blood and urine samples.
Although drugs can be detected in hair for a longer period, determining when the substance was taken becomes more difficult as time passes.
Prof. Jean-Claude Alvarez, who is conducting the pilot study at Raymond-Poincaré AP-HP Hospital, said that the use of diuretics in this manner was “very unusual.”
Alvarez, who stated he had never encountered such a case in his 26-year career as a toxicology specialist, said the laboratory routinely tests for around 400 substances and noted, “We are currently looking for diuretic substances in France.”
“I WAS ALONE FOR FOUR YEARS”
Fifteen years have passed since Anaïs's encounter with Nègre, and seven years since she first spoke with the police.
Like many other complainants, Anaïs said she was disappointed that it took so long for Nègre's case to be brought to court.
Meanwhile, according to the rights organization Fondation des Femmes, which supports around 30 women, Nègre continues to work in human resources despite the charges against him.
“Everything is very disturbing, and I am very angry at the treatment we have received,” said Anaïs, stating that she first spoke with the police in 2019, but despite sending numerous emails afterward, she received no information about the case until 2023.
“For four years, I was left alone knowing I was a victim. I didn't know what to do. I am very angry at the justice system,” she said.
Marie-Hélène, on the other hand, described what happened as “secondary victimization.”
“As a victim, I need to prove the impact, go to a psychiatrist, and keep detailed notes,” she said.
Stating that the case not being concluded for years made what she went through even more unbearable, Marie-Hélène said, “We don't feel like we are being taken seriously.”
“I DON'T HAVE TO HIDE MYSELF”
Kalliopi Mingeirou from UN Women said governments, police, and justice systems need to take more steps to combat drug-facilitated sexual assault.
Mingeirou noted that authorities face “very serious challenges” and stated that delays in investigating alleged abuse cases “devastate women's lives.”
The BBC asked the French police, judicial authorities, and government to respond to criticisms about how the case was handled but received no response.
Marie-Hélène, however, said that after remaining silent for a long time, she has left behind the feeling of shame.
“I don't have to hide myself; I am a victim,” she said.
Stating that speaking publicly is important for her, Marie-Hélène said it helps some victims recognize themselves, realize what happened to them, and file complaints.
“In the world we live in, it is necessary to raise our voices. It is important to talk about sexism and sexual violence.”