Gerard Depardieu questioned after being accused of sexual assault

The famous French actor Gérard Depardieu was questioned by police on Tuesday as part of an investigation into rapes and sexual assault, police sources said on Wednesday. They added that the actor had not been arrested.

The investigation follows a complaint filed by a 22-year-old actress last August at the prosecutor's office in Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France. She accused Depardieu, 69, of rape and sexual assault.

The prosecutor's office in Aix-en-Provence opened an investigation and forwarded it to the prosecutor's office in Paris.

A young actress and dancer told Depardieu, claiming that she "had been sexually assaulted by an actor during an informal attempt to prepare a theatrical show".

This was to take place at the Depardieu residence in Paris on August 6 and 7, French media reported.

"His innocence will be proven"

"Gerard Depardieu denied any aggression and committed no rape," said his lawyer, Hervé Temime, following this information.

– I regret the public nature of this procedure, which causes serious prejudice to Gerard Depardieu, for which I am convinced that his innocence will be proven – said Temime, calling for "maximum moderation of the rights of all parties".

Relocation to Russia

Depardieu, a theater and film actor, left France in 2012 to avoid paying a 75% tax to very wealthy people. The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who calls him his friend, issued in early January 2013 a decree granting the actor Russian citizenship.

The actor has received an official report in Saransk, Mordovia, in the European part of Russia. However, at the end of February this year. he announced that he would soon move to Algiers in Algeria.

The complaint against Depardieu is part of a series of rape and other sexual abuse cases in the film industry.

They began last October with charges of more than 70 women under the name of the American giant Harvey Weinstein, who gave birth to the #MeToo social movement.

This movement is directed against perpetrators of sexual exploitation of women, particularly those occupying prominent positions in the entertainment industry and in the world of politics and business.

Author: asty / adso
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Source: PAP