A French member of parliament accused of raping his niece when she was a minor is set to face trial after an appeal to stop the case going to court failed, his parliamentary assistant said today.
Mr Marc Dumoulin (51) was placed under investigation in December 1998 after a complaint from his niece. Now 29, she accused Dumoulin of raping her when she was 12 years old, on holiday at her uncle's house.
Mr Dumoulin, who denies the charges, appealed against a ruling to hear the case in court, but the appeal was rejected by the Cour de Cassation, France's top appeals court.
He is now due to go before a Cour d'Assises, the country's highest criminal court, in the eastern city of Strasbourg before the end of the year.
Elected in 1997 in the eastern Ribeauville region, Dumoulin stood down from President Jacques Chirac's Gaullist RPR party when the complaint came to light. He has said he does not intend to give up his seat.