French Official Accused of Drugging Women During Job Interviews to Cause Involuntary Urination

Christian Negre, a former high-ranking official in France's Ministry of Culture responsible for human resources, faces accusations of subjecting women attending job interviews to a strange and humiliating ritual over a decade. Prosecutors allege that between 2009 and 2018, Negre administered diuretics in coffee or tea to female candidates. He would then allegedly keep them walking and deliberately away from restrooms for hours, inducing an uncontrollable urge to urinate.

More than 240 women believe they were victims of this scheme. Some were interviewed for non-existent positions, while others applied for real jobs and later suspected they were never genuinely considered. Many did not understand what had happened until police contacted them years later. One alleged victim recalled the tea having a peculiar taste, which she now suspects was adulterated.

The investigation gained momentum in 2018 when a colleague observed Negre taking photographs of a woman's legs from beneath a table during an interview. This incident prompted a police investigation, during which officers examined Negre's electronic devices. They discovered a spreadsheet, reportedly titled "Experiments P," which prosecutors and several interrogated women believe meticulously documented his encounters. The file allegedly contained details about the interviewed women, their arrival times, when diuretics were supposedly administered, how long it took for them to need a restroom, and specifics about their underwear.

This information was crucial for the police in identifying numerous potential victims. One interviewee, Anaïs de Vos, then 27, described attending an interview for a Ministry of Culture position in Paris in July 2011. Negre prepared her coffee, which she found odd-tasting and only drank half of. He then suggested continuing the conversation outside. While walking through Paris, De Vos felt an urgent need to urinate. Negre led her towards the Seine, suggesting she could relieve herself under a bridge. She found the situation deeply disturbing but insisted on continuing the interview. Later, she discovered she needed to pay to use restrooms at the Louvre and, lacking money, ended up in a café where she lost control and urinated on herself. The three-hour encounter left her feeling weak and dizzy. She did not get the job and initially attributed the experience to stress.