The investigation was entrusted to the brigade for the protection of minors of the Paris judicial police. Jacques Bouthier, the CEO of the insurance group Assu 2000, was indicted and imprisoned on Saturday May 21 for “trafficking in human beings” et “rape of a minor” in particular, Agence France-Presse learned on Monday from a judicial source and a witness familiar with the matter, confirming information from RTL.
At the end of a preliminary investigation opened in mid-March, this man, as well as five other people, were indicted “in the context of a judicial investigation opened on Saturday, from the heads of human trafficking to the respect of a minor and attempt, rape of a minor over the age of 15, recourse to prostitution by a minor” and “sexual assault on a minor under the age of 15”.
They are also suspected of“association of criminals with a view to committing the crime of kidnapping and sequestration in an organized gang and possession of child pornography images”, according to the same source. The six people were “indicted the same day and remanded in custody”she clarified.
A young woman “captive” for five years
According to a source close to the case quoted by the radio, a 22-year-old young woman presented herself to the Parisian police in March, explaining that, for five years, she had been « captive » of a wealthy man who raped her. Becoming, in his words, “too old for him”the young woman would have been forced to find a “substitute” to take over.
A 14-year-old girl then took her place in the apartment. The complainant managed to film them together in a bed, before entrusting the video to the investigators.
The 75-year-old CEO is suspected of having wanted to set up a team to kidnap the young woman, seize the video and force her to leave France, adds RTL. For this, the septuagenarian would have asked his wife, two employees of his company, a young woman close to the complainant, as well as a former gendarme member of the GIGN. All were charged and jailed on Saturday.
At least seven young women, minors or young adults, would have succeeded in the apartment, according to RTL.
The Assu 2000 group, founded in 1975 and headed by Mr. Bouthier, renamed Vilavi last January, presents itself as the “first expert broker in insurance and credit dedicated to individuals in France” and boasts 1,800 employees and 163 million euros in turnover. In 2020, the magazine Challenges placed the ruler in 487e position in its ranking of the main fortunes of France, with a heritage estimated at 160 million euros. It dropped out of the rankings in 2021.