French actor Gerard Depardieu has been under investigation for alleged sexual assault and rape since December 2020.
Depardieu’s team denied the allegations against him in a statement to Fox News published Wednesday. The charges have been kept secret, but were leaked to the French press Tuesday.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday that French actor Gerard Depardieu was charged in December with rape and sexual assault after authorities revived a 2018 investigation that was initially dropped.https://t.co/kCnVdUse3V
— NBCWashington (@nbcwashington) February 24, 2021
“Mr. Depardieu was indicted in December 2020, an information that had remained secret since then, in accordance with French law,” the statement read. “This information became public yesterday, which is regrettable. An investigating judge is in charge of this file.” (RELATED: Harvey Weinstein Sentenced To 23 Years In Prison After Rape Conviction)
“Mr. Depardieu is and remains presumed innocent,” the statement continued. “He strongly contests the accusations against him. The investigation must continue in calm, secrecy and respect for Mr. Depardieu’s presumption of innocence.”
The charges stem from an alleged encounter between Depardieu and a 22-year-old woman that occurred in 2018. The aspiring actress claimed Depardieu assaulted her on Aug. 7 and Aug. 13, 2018, at his home in Paris, Fox News reported.
The woman first filed a complaint against Depardieu back in 2018. The initial investigation was dropped in 2019, but later revived, according to Fox News.
Depardieu was formally charged in the case on Dec. 16, but was not detained at the time, Fox News reported.
Depardieu has appeared in more than 200 films.