“It’s a great relief and a first step which will help me rebuild myself,” 27-year-old Laurent de Villiers told French daily Le Parisien. Laurent accuses his brother Guillaume de Villiers, 33 years old, of raping him in December 1995 and January 1995.

On Wednesday, the high court of appeals overturned a court ruling that cleared Guillaume of rape charges. An appeals court in the town of Lyon will now have to re-examine the case and decide whether Guillaume should stand trial.

MEP Philippe de Villiers heads the far right party le Mouvement pour la France, which campaigns against Islam in France. A presidential candidate in 2007, he received 2 percent of the vote.

In an interview with French radio station Europe 1, Laurent called on his family to accept the truth and support his quest for justice. Laurent has cut relations with his family and now lives in the United States. His cousin Anne de Kervenoael is the only member of family in contact with him.

She has said she is relieved by the high court’s decision, adding the previous court dismissal of the lawsuit was “unfair”.