French authorities reportedly arrested Gérard Depardieu for a brief period Monday in connection with sexual assault allegations.
The BFMTV channel and the daily Le Parisien reported that the 75-year-old actor was summoned Monday morning by the Parisian police and placed in police custody.
The actor’s lawyer, Christian Saint-Palais, later told the press at the police station in the 14th arrondissement of Paris: “The police custody is over. He is no longer detained at the police station,” but is declined further comment.
Gérard Depardieu was briefly detained by French police on Monday. (Getty Images)
The Paris police said they were not authorized to comment and directed their questions to the Paris prosecutor’s office, which indicated that it had no comment “at this stage”.
“We have no information to release or confirm until we have evaluated possible charges and instructions,” the office said in an email response to questions from The Associated Press.
Depardieu’s detention on Monday stems from allegations made by two women, several foreign media reported. Each woman accused the actor of groping them during filming, one in 2014 and the other in 2021.
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Gérard Depardieu was arrested for questioning regarding sexual assault allegations made against him earlier this year. (Getty Images)
The alleged 2014 assault was reported to police in January, according to Le Parisien.
The other alleged assault involved a 53-year-old film decorator who claimed Depardieu grabbed her and kneaded her waist, stomach and breasts during the filming of “Les Volets vertes,” according to the lawyer. wife, Carine. Durrieu Diebolt.
His complaint was filed with the Paris prosecutor’s office in February.
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This is not the first time Depardieu has been accused of sexual misconduct. More than a dozen women said the “Greencard” actor was sexually inappropriate towards them at the start of the #MeToo movement.
Depardieu accused of rape and sexual assault in 2020 in connection with encounters that took place at his home in 2018. The woman claimed Depardieu assaulted her in two separate incidents at his home after she led a master class at his school, reported BFMTV.
Gérard Depardieu was accused of rape and sexual assault in 2020 in connection with an encounter that allegedly took place in 2018. (Getty Images)
“Mr. Depardieu is and remains presumed innocent. He strongly contests the accusations against him,” a lawyer for the French actor told Fox News Digital at the time. “The investigation must continue in calm, secrecy and respect for Mr. Depardieu’s presumption of innocence.”
Depardieu has long been considered a national icon in France. He was a global ambassador for French cinema and achieved international fame with several roles in Hollywood.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
