Isabelle Adjani convicted of tax fraud: 10 months suspended prison sentence
French cinema star Isabelle Adjani has been sentenced to 10 months suspended imprisonment and a fine of €10,000 for tax fraud and money laundering.
Isabelle Adjani convicted of tax fraud: 10 months suspended prison sentence
The Paris Court of Appeal has condemned actress Isabelle Adjani to ten months suspended imprisonment and a fine of €10,000 for tax fraud and money laundering. This decision comes during a second trial that opened in April.
The sentence imposed by the appellate judges is considerably lower than that handed down at first instance in December 2023, when the interpreter of "La Reine Margot" received a two-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of €250,000.
The actress's lawyer, David Lepinty, welcomed this decision by stating that "the criminal penalty has been drastically reduced". He nevertheless specified that he would lodge a petition for cassation, whilst saying he was "relieved" by this verdict.
At 71 years old, the actress was found guilty of filing a false declaration of residence in Portugal in 2016 and 2017, of concealing a loan taken out in 2013 and of transferring a sum to the United States in 2014. Twice nominated for an Oscar for her roles in "The Story of Adèle H." and "Camille Claudel", she has always denied the charges.
During the trial, the actress claimed to suffer from "administrative phobia" and denounced the actions of a tax official who had allegedly promised to "put her affairs in order". "False, like all the scams I have had the misfortune to encounter in my life," she stated, presenting herself as "the ideal target" and "victim of successive frauds".
She also acknowledged never having completed a tax return, adding: "Fortunately, because that would have been catastrophic." According to her account, she would be "incapable of organising" tax fraud and claimed not to know how to count.
On the prosecution side, prosecutor Ralph Boussier recalled that her interests were in France and that she was therefore required to file her income declarations there.
Source: Efimerida ton Syntakton