French film star Depardieu probed over Belgian residence

French actor Gérard Depardieu is being investigated on suspicion of faking a residence in Belgium since 2012 in order to escape French taxes for the wealthy.

According to the French judiciary, searches were carried out in France and Belgium on February 11 by tax investigators from both countries.

Depardieu, 76, moved his residence to the Belgian town of Néchin near the French border over a deade ago in a dispute over what he saw as excessive taxes for the rich.

The Belgian municipality promptly made the actor an honorary citizen.

“The tax authorities have been endeavouring to prove fraud for nine years,” Depardieu’s lawyer Jérémie Assous told dpa.

“As this has not been successful, they are now trying to do so through criminal proceedings.”

He added: “Some would be tempted to call these legal methods shabby, but they are legal and common.”

Depardieu is also dealing with other legal cases.

At the end of March, he will appear in court on suspicion of sexual assault. Two women accuse him of groping their breasts and buttocks during filming in 2021.

Depardieu, who famously starred as Cyrano de Bergerac, denies the allegations.