Gérard Depardieu under formal investigation for alleged rape and sexual assault

Paris, France – Gérard Depardieu is under investigation by French. authorities for alleged rape and sexual assault, judicial sources have confirmed.

The movie star has been under investigation since December 2020, they said. The complainant is a young actress who accused the actor of several rapes and sexual assaults dating back to summer of 2018.

Depardieu’s lawyer, Hervé Temime, stated the actor disputes the allegations of wrongdoing and reminds of the presumption of innocence and that this case was investigated before and dropped last June.

The case was recently reopened by the judiciary. In 2018, the French actor was accused of rape and sexual assault by a 22-year-old woman, prompting a “preliminary investigation.” In the French judicial system, formal investigation ensues if officials find grounds for prosecuting the matter further. 

The complaint was made on August 27 and forwarded to the Paris prosecutor on August 29. “I regret that this investigation was not kept secret as usual,” Temime added. 

Also in 2018, Temime confirmed that Depardieu knows the woman who accused him, but denied he was with her during the dates mentioned in the complaint. 

Depardieu is famous for his roles in films like “Green Card,” “The Man in the Iron Mask” and “Life of Pi.” He was also received an Oscar nomination in 1991 for his leading role in “Cyrano de Bergerac.”