Sawt Falasteen - French chauffeur to face trial over alleged theft from UK minister

Both the driver and Foreign Minister Lammy filed complaints after the 600-kilometre (370 mile) ride, regional prosecutor Boris Duffau told AFP late Wednesday.

But it was the complaint filed by Lammy that was retained by the judicial authorities and will now go to trial, Duffau added.

The French driver, based in the southeastern French city of Avignon, was placed under judicial supervision with a driving ban and allowed to go free ahead of trial on 2,000-euro ($2,200) bail, the prosecutor said.

He will appear in court on November 3 in the southeastern city of Bonneville for "theft of cash and personal belongings," he added.

Duffau said that a row had erupted after a dispute over the fare and the "tone escalated".

The driver alleged in comments to the regional daily La Provence that he had never been paid for a trip on April 11 between Forli in northern Italy and Flaine, a ski resort in the French Alps.

The driver said the ride was ordered by the British Embassy in France and also claims to have been "the victim of assault and violence" by his passengers. The fare, according to him, was 1,550 euros.

- 'Victims in this matter' -

"We totally refute these allegations. The fare was paid in full. The foreign secretary and his wife are named as victims in this matter and the driver has been charged with theft," a British foreign ministry spokesman told AFP in London.

"As there is an ongoing legal process, it would be inappropriate to comment further."

Prosecutor Duffau added: "The driver left after the two customers had got out of his car, with their luggage still in the boot."

"He dropped them (the bags) off at a municipal police station the next day," he said, adding this "is considered theft" because of the length of time he kept these personal belongings.

The prosecutor said that the driver is accused of taking cash from the baggage, helping himself to the amount he insisted was owed by the passengers.

British media reports said Lammy had been heading to a private skiing holiday in France with his wife Nicola Green after accompanying after King Charles III on his state visit to Italy.

British media said Green told police in a statement that she felt threatened and that the taxi driver had showed her a knife in his glovebox.

The reports said the driver is a chauffeur who provides services to VIPs. The dispute erupted after he demanded more money than had been previously agreed for the trip, the reports said, citing Lammy's version of events.

The Times of London said that although the taxi was organised by Foreign Office officials, the Lammys paid the fare.

Lammy represents the north London area of Tottenham in parliament and has been foreign secretary since July 2024 in the wake of Labour's election win.

Q.Bulbul--SF-PST