French actor Gérard Depardieu has been charged with rape, reports The Independent.
The 72-year-old actor was indicted* on 16 December for rape and sexual assault, which he allegedly committed in the summer of 2018.
On Tuesday (23 February), Agence France-Presse learned of the charges* from a source close to the case. The charges were confirmed by a judicial source.
Depardieu was accused of raping a 22-year-old actor in his Paris home in 2018, an allegation Depardieu has denied.
After nine months of investigation, French prosecutors dropped the case due to lack of evidence.
Last August, the actor, now 24, relaunched proceedings by claiming to be an “injured party”. Under French law, “injured parties” typically have their cases investigated by a magistrate.
Read more of this report from The Independent.
*Editor's note:
Under a change to the French legal system introduced in 1993, a magistrate can decide a suspect should be 'placed under investigation' (mis en examen), which is a status one step short of being charged (inculpé), if there is 'serious or concordant' evidence that they committed a crime. Some English-language media describe this status, peculiar to French criminal law, as that of being charged. In fact, it is only at the end of an investigation that a decision can be made to bring charges, in which case the accused is automatically sent for trial.