The public prosecutor's office also said Departeau received a court summons at the end of the investigation. The proceedings are the subject of alleged sexual assaults that took place on the set of director Jean Becker's film “Les Volettes Verts” in September 2021.
After several hours of questioning on Monday, Depardieu was released from police custody, his lawyer said. “Police custody is over. He will no longer be held at the police station,” said Depardieu’s lawyer Christian as he left the Saint-Palais police station. Depardieu denied the two women's allegations during the trial.
A set designer accused Depardieu of sexually harassing her on the set of “Les volets verts” in 2021. Depardieu made several offensive comments, he told Medipart magazine. He “grabbed her brutally” and grabbed her “up to her waist, stomach and breasts.” The actor's bodyguards finally stopped Departue.
“We had to listen to his nonsense from morning to night,” actress Anouk Grimberg, who starred in the film, told AFP recently. “When producers hire Depardieu, they know he's an aggressor,” he added.
The lawyer for the set designer allegedly assaulted by Depardieu, Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, spoke to AFP news agency “Relief” about legal action against Depardieu. Durrieu-Diebolt has been representing a woman who has accused the actor since 2014. According to his reports, Depardieu grabbed the woman and used foul language during the filming of “Le Magicien et les Siamois”.
Depardieu has already been accused of sexual violence several times. Since 2020, the Department of Justice has been investigating allegations of rape by actress Charlotte Arnold against the movie star. Actress Helene Taras filed a rape complaint against him, but the case was dropped due to the statute of limitations. Journalist Ruth Bassa sued Depardieu for rape in Spain in 1995.
Around 20 women have now accused the actor of assault and harassment in the media or before the judiciary. Depardieu has so far denied all allegations. “I have never abused a single woman,” he wrote in an open letter published in October.
French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly publicly supported the actor and referred to the presumption of innocence. Departue is one of France's most popular film stars. He has worked with some of the country's most prominent directors and actresses and acted in more than 200 films and serials.
