French actor Gerard Depardieu is speaking out after the public learned that he was accused in December of rape and sexual assault in a 2018 case that was revived by authorities.
Depardieu, 72, received preliminary charges on December 16, but was not detained at the time. The prosecutor’s office handled the charges on Tuesday after the update on the case was leaked to French media.
The actor’s lawyer, Hervé Temime, issued a statement to Fox News addressing the charges in which he maintained his client’s innocence in the matter.
“Mr Depardieu was indicted in December 2020, information that has remained secret since then, under French law,” the statement said. “This information was made public yesterday, which is unfortunate. An investigating judge is in charge of this process.”
FRENCH ACTOR GERARD DEPARDIEU LOADED WITH ALLEGED RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT OF 2018 CASE
Temime added: “Mr. Depardieu is and continues to be presumed innocent. He vigorously contests the charges against him. The investigation must proceed calmly, confidentially and with respect for Mr. Depardieu’s presumption of innocence.”
French actor Gerard Depardieu spoke after it became public that he was accused of rape and sexual assault.
(AP)
French media reports said the charges are related to allegations made by an actress in her 20s dating back to 2018. An initial investigation against the star was withdrawn in 2019 for lack of evidence, but was later revived.
FRENCH ACTOR GERARD DEPARDIEU ACCIDENT OF RAPE
French newspaper Le Parisien and broadcaster BFM TV said the woman alleged that Depardieu assaulted her on August 7 and 13, 2018, at her home in Paris. The two met when Depardieu gave a master class at his school, BFM TV reported.
The actress, who was not identified, filed a complaint with details of alleged rape and assault in August 2018 in the city of Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. The investigation was taken over by investigators from Paris, but was soon abandoned.
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Depardieu is one of France’s most prolific actors and one of the few who ventured out of French cinema and made his name in Hollywood. He won a Golden Globe for his performance in “Green Card”, a romantic English comedy from 1990 co-starring Andie MacDowell.
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Before crossing the Atlantic to star in “Green Card”, Depardieu played a number of roles, from Jean Valjean, the thief who became a saint in “Les Misérables”, to Christopher Columbus. He has appeared in nearly 200 films over six decades.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.