Convicted of sexual assault, Dominique Boutonnat leaves the presidency of the CNC

He submitted his resignation to Minister of Culture Rachida Dati yesterday.

“Although the alleged facts are unrelated to my professional situation, I know that the publicity given to them may have created a particular context for the CNC, particularly in recent weeks. This is why I want to , today, to thank all the agents of our establishment for having, during the duration of this procedure, ensured the perfect continuity of the public service for which they are responsible.”

Dominique Boutonnat was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison, including one year, for sexual assault on his nephew. If he has always denied it, he will have to serve his prison sentence at home, with an electronic bracelet, specifies the Nanterre court. The president of the CNC immediately reacted by submitting his resignation to Rachida Dati, the minister of culture. The current deputy director general of the National Center for Cinema and Animated Images, Olivier Henrard, will be in charge of its interim presidency. He also wrote a long message to all the CNC teams, relayed by The French Film.

“Today's court decision, which I am contesting, could be such as to make it more difficult to carry out your duties in the future, despite the presumption of innocence which applies until all appeals have been exhausted, he also writes, recalling all the challenges the group faces in defending French cinema. This is why, in order not to cause harm, even if only in terms of image, to the institution for which the President of the Republic has entrusted me with responsibility, I have decided to cease the exercise. of my duties as of today.”

Finally, he thanks all of his teams “for the immense work that we have accomplished together over these five years. I am deeply proud to have been at the head of this magnificent institution that is the CNC, surrounded by the exceptional team that you represent. I remain fully confident for the future because your competence and your commitment will allow, tomorrow more than ever, our sectors to tackle the challenges that present themselves to our cultural exception, so essential for the cohesion of our entire society.”

Dominique Boutonnat accused of sexual assault: the president of the CNC defends himself