A French millionaire who made his fortune by founding a prominent insurance firm has been charged* with human trafficking and rape of a minor in a case that has shocked France, judicial sources told AFP Tuesday, reports the Macau News Agency.
Jacques Bouthier, 75, was charged after a woman, 22, went to the Paris police in March and said he had held her captive for five years and repeatedly raped her, a source close to the case, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
She told the police that Bouthier said she was becoming too old and forced her to find a 14-year-old as a replacement, according to RTL radio who revealed the case.
The woman filmed Bouthier and the teenager together in bed and gave the video to the police as evidence, the report said.
Police believe Bouthier found out about the video and made plans to kidnap the woman, seize the video and force her to leave the country.
Bouthier’s wife, two employees of his company, a young woman close to the victim and a former police officer are suspected of planning to assist him.
Read more of this AFP report published by the Macau News Agency.
* Editor's note: Under a change to the French legal system introduced in 1993, a magistrate can decide if 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.