Eleven women who accused former French model agency chief Gerald Marie of sexual misconduct and rape were invited to Paris to meet investigators in the next stage of a criminal investigation.
Women, based around the world, are due to fly to Paris together in the coming weeks to be interviewed by the Brigade de Protection des Mineurs de Paris, the child protection department of the municipal police.
Marie, who is now in her 70s and lives in Spain, has vehemently denied the accusations, which include two of women who claim he raped them when they were minors. All the alleged incidents would have occurred in the 1980s and 1990s.
Several of the women who are now preparing to travel to France were among the 16 accusers who spoke to the Guardian last year about Marie, who was one of the most powerful men in the fashion industry.
The request, sent to women by a French police investigator, said that a face-to-face meeting would allow them to formally submit signed depositions and allow the investigation to continue.
There have been criticisms of French police authorities about the handling of sexual assault investigations involving minors, after several major cases have not resulted in prosecutions.
Anne-Claire Le Jeune, the lawyer who represents Marie’s alleged victims, said: “This is an important first step and shows that the French authorities are taking the accusations seriously.”
Prosecutors in France opened their investigation of Marie in September last year, initially on the allegations of four women. They included Carré Otis, a 90s top model, who claimed that Marie – who was then the European head of the Elite modeling agency – repeatedly raped her when she was 17.
She said the abuse occurred while she lived in the vacant room in the apartment he shared with Marie’s then wife, supermodel Linda Evangelista, in 1986.
Since then, eight more women have submitted their testimonies to the French prosecutor, bringing the total to 12. The Guardian understands that 11 have received formal invitations to travel to Paris, while the 12th must be contacted next week.
Marie’s lawyers did not respond to a request for comment on the latest developments in the investigation. However, they have previously denied all charges against him, saying he was “extremely affected” by the charges and would fight in the criminal case.
“He intends to participate actively in the manifestation of the truth in the context of open criminal investigation,” they said.
One of the women who plans to travel to Paris is Shawna Lee, a former Canadian model who previously told the Guardian that Marie raped her in 1992 when she was 15, also in the apartment he shared with Evangelista in Paris.
There is no evidence that Evangelista was aware of any of these allegations at the time and has since praised the “courage and strength” shown by the women who now accuse her ex-husband.
Lee said the decision to interview her and the other accusers was a “very important” step. “I am proud of myself and the other women who have had the courage to speak up and help create change for girls who are advancing,” she said.
A Paris police spokesman said: “As this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide any information.”
Women are expected to travel to Paris as soon as Covid restrictions are lifted. Le Jeune said the women plan to arrive in Paris at the same time “to create an impact and raise awareness of the case”.