Head of DPR representative office in France arrested
Hubert Fayard, head of an organization that purports to be the official representation of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in Marseilles, has been arrested, RIA Novosti reports, citing its own source.
“He lost his job some time ago and found himself in tight financial circumstances. At the same time, he met a woman, a Ukrainian. I can’t say what their relations were, I wasn’t there. But essentially, she offered to lend him a certain amount of money,” the source explained.
The morning after the money was transferred, the police arrived at Fayard’s house.
“They confiscated these funds and arrested him on charges of pimping. He is currently in custody in one of the communes in the Aix-en-Provence area,” the source added.
Last year, the prosecution office in the French city of Aix-en-Provence filed a lawsuit against the “Official DPR Representation” in France, demanding its dissolution. The French media emphasized that France does not officially recognize the organization and that its activity is illegal.
Gerald-Hubert Fayard, the supposed “consul” of the DPR in France, also acted as an international observer at the Russian presidential elections that were held illegally in annexed Crimea. In May 2018, Fayard participated in the celebration of the fourth anniversary of the “referendum on independence” in Donetsk.
In September 2018, the French justice system refused to strip the “Official DPR Representation” of its registration in France.