French Justice Drops Investigation into Disappearance of Alexandre Benalla’s Safes

A French judge has dropped an investigation into the alleged concealment of evidence related to the disappearance of safes belonging to Alexandre Benalla, a former aide to President Emmanuel Macron. The investigation focused on the possibility that the removal of the safes, which Benalla used to store weapons, from his apartment during a police search in July 2018, constituted an attempt to hide evidence. The case stemmed from the ‘Benalla affair,’ which erupted in the summer of 2018 after Benalla was filmed violently assaulting protesters during a May Day demonstration. He was ultimately convicted of assault and sentenced to a year in prison. The judge’s decision to drop the investigation follows a request from prosecutors, effectively ending this specific branch of the case.