Gérard Depardieu: Paris prosecutor demands trial for rape of actress Charlotte Arnould

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The Paris public prosecutor's office has confirmed that it has requested that Gérard Depardieu be charged with rape and sexual assault in connection with the incidents reported by actress Charlotte Arnould.

“By the final indictment of August 14, 2024, (the public prosecutor's office) requested the transfer of Gérard Depardieu to the Departmental Criminal Court to try him for rape by digital penetration and sexual assault on August 7 and 13, 2018, to the detriment of Charlotte Arnould,” the statement said.

Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, Charlotte Arnould's lawyer, told AFP that the verdict was “the result of a lengthy investigation that has enabled us to gather the elements that confirm my client's testimony.”

“For them, this is a huge step forward and full of hope while we await the order of the investigating judge who will close the investigation,” added Durrieu-Diebolt.

Arnould posted a message on X shortly afterwards, saying she was “extremely relieved and moved” by the decision. “It gives me hope for the future, although I will of course remain cautious while I wait for the examining magistrate's decision.”

The 75-year-old actor was Subject of investigation on December 16, 2020, after the actress accused him of two rapes committed on August 7 and 13, 2018 in Depardieu's Paris home.

The investigation was completed on 16 April and the public prosecutor issued his final indictment on August 14th.

It is now at the discretion of the investigating judge in charge of the case whether or not to order a trial.

Depardieu is accused of sexual violence by other womenand has denied the allegations. “I have never, ever abused a woman,” he told Le Figaro in October 2023, referring to Charlotte Arnould's allegations.

According to him, “the first time a woman came to my house with light steps and went into my room voluntarily. Now she says she was raped there.”

“There was never any coercion, violence or protest between us,” he said, adding: “If she was under control, she was in control. She was never under my control.”

In addition, the actor will be charged in October before the Paris Criminal Court with sexual assaults on two women during the shooting of Jean Becker's film 2021 The green volets.

Depardieu was long considered a national icon in France, and the case has divided the French cultural scene. He was a worldwide ambassador for French cinema and achieved international fame through several roles in Hollywood.

Additional sources • AFP, Le Figaro