French actor Gérard Depardieu has been under investigation since February 2024 for aggravated tax fraud and money laundering, a judicial source confirmed to Le Monde on Monday, February 24, after an initial report by Mediapart. He is suspected of falsely declaring his tax residency to be in Belgium since 2013.
The investigation covers tax fraud, aggravated tax fraud, and money laundering related to tax fraud, dating back to 2013. Searches and hearings took place in mid-February 2025 in both France and Belgium, according to the same source.
Depardieu, now 76, announced in December 2012 that he was moving to Belgium for tax reasons, protesting then president François Hollande's proposed wealth tax. He settled in Néchin, a Belgian town near the French border known for its affluent expatriates. His move sparked controversy, with political leaders – including then prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who called it "rather pathetic" – criticizing his decision. In response, Depardieu threatened to renounce his French passport and was granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin in January 2013.
Depardieu is scheduled to stand trial in March before the Paris Criminal Court for sexually assaulting two women during the 2021 filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters), directed by Jean Becker. He also faces an order to stand trial for the alleged rape of actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018, a charge he denies. The investigating judge in that case has yet to decide whether a trial will proceed.