Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, French Secretary of State for Development and the Francophonie is reportedly under investigation, following two allegations of rape.

Zacharopoulou, originally from Greece was brought in front of the French prosecutors on Wednesday after two complaints were submitted regarding her conduct as a gynaecologist.

According to Reuters, a former patient of the 46-year-old physician submitted a complaint for rape was on 25 May which led to the opening of the investigation on 27 May. On 16 June another woman submitted a complaint for rape.

Zacharopoulou, joined French President Emmanuel Macron’s centre party, La République En Marche, in May 2022 after having had a successful career as a member of the European Parliament for three years and advocating for women’s health and reproductive rights.

As a gynaecologist, she launched a campaign in 2015 raising public awareness on endometriosis and the need for more research on the debilitating medical condition that causes reduced fertility amongst women.

Zacharopoulou is not the only member of Macron’s government that has been allegedly accused of sexual misconduct, seeding mistrust from the public. Macron failed to retain a majority in the recent parliamentary elections.