Former French minister Georges Tron has gone on trial on charges of raping and assaulting two women at the town hall of Draveil, south of Paris, The Guardian reported on Tuesday. Tron, the mayor of Draveil, allegedly assaulted the two former municipal employees between 2007 and 2010. Former French Councillor Brigitte Gruel is accused of aiding Tron in the assault.

The minister was forced to resign from the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2011 after the allegations surfaced. He was re-elected for a fourth term as mayor of Draveil in 2014 despite the allegations against him.

A first trial that began in December 2017 was disrupted after a TV documentary on the case was aired as the trial opened. The court held that the documentary could influence the proceedings. The new trial will be held in a court in Paris’s suburb of Bobigny, away from Tron’s bastion. The proceedings are expected to last for four weeks, France24 reported.

The complainants have alleged that Tron had pressured them into taking part in foot massage sessions, after claiming he is a practitioner of reflexology. The sessions, often in the presence of Gruel, developed into sexual assault and rape, the women have claimed. Both Tron and Gruel have denied the charges.

One of the accusers had suffered from depression and attempted to commit suicide in 2010, months before the allegations surfaced, BBC reported. Another complainant was sacked in 2009 for alleged theft.