Overview
- The Brest criminal court acquitted Maël de Calan and a departmental official of charges that they organised institutional moral harassment of RSA beneficiaries, with the verdict delivered on Monday.
- The case was brought by the CGT, the Confédération Paysanne and six RSA claimants through a citation directe, a private route that meant the public prosecutor did not open the prosecution or make requisitions at the hearing.
- Prosecutors told the court they would likely not appeal the acquittal, a decision that would effectively close the criminal track of the dispute.
- Plaintiffs said departmental controls were intrusive and humiliating, citing repeated and detailed document requests, while the council says a 25 percent drop in RSA recipients since 2021 reflects intensified return-to-work measures such as coaching and job‑dating.
- Although the criminal case may end, political scrutiny and other legal avenues remain: de Calan faces a separate defamation trial and critics warn that civil or administrative complaints and public debate over beneficiary controls could continue to affect both claimants and department policy.