AA photographer and two executives at the magazine that exposed French President Francois Hollande's affair with an actress are to be charged under France's strict privacy laws, a prosecutor said Saturday, reports News 24. Photographer Laurent Viers and two Closer magazine executives will appear in court on 1 July charged with breach of privacy, which carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a fine of up to $62 500. The charges relate to a picture of the actress, 41-year-old Julie Gayet, behind the wheel of her car that Closer published in January. Under French law, the inside of a car is considered to be a private space. Prosecutor Robert Gelli said the evidence - including Gayet's own testimony - indicated that Viers took the photograph. The two magazine executives were charged for publishing the photo which was "taken in a private space and without the actress's consent", Gelli said. They are Carmine Perna, director general of Closer publisher Mondadori Magazines France, and the magazine's editor-in-chief Laurence Pieau.
