French Police Detain Head Of DPR Representative Office In Marseilles - Source

The head of the representative office of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in the southern French city of Marseilles, Hubert Fayard, has been detained ahead of the opening of the second DPR representative office in France, a source familiar with the situation told Sputnik on Wednesday

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th April, 2019) The head of the representative office of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in the southern French city of Marseilles, Hubert Fayard, has been detained ahead of the opening of the second DPR representative office in France, a source familiar with the situation told Sputnik on Wednesday.

"Hubert has children, and he needs to help them. He has lost his job some time ago and has faced certain financial difficulties. He has met a woman from Ukraine. I don't know what kind of relations they had ... But the point is that she has suggested to lend him some money," the source said.

The source added that the next morning after Fayard got the money from this woman, police officers arrived at his place.

"They confiscated the money and detained him on suspicion of pimping. He is currently in custody in Aix-en-Provence," the source added.

Fayard had plans to attend the Yalta International Economic Forum, set to take place in Crimea on April 18-20. He was also preparing for the opening of the second DPR representative office in France, due to happen in late April.

The DPR representative office in Marseilles was inaugurated on September 25, 2017. The French Foreign Ministry claimed that the center had been officially registered as an association thus lacking any diplomatic status in the country. However, a court in the city of Aix-en-Provence rejected in September 2018 the French government's request to close the office.