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French actor Gérard Depardieu faces probe for tax fraud

The actor is suspected of falsely declaring his tax residency to be in Belgium since 2013, a source close to the case said on Monday; his trial for allegedly sexually assaulting two women during a 2021 film shoot is due to begin in March.

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Actor Gérard Depardieu is under investigation for aggravated tax fraud in France, a source close to the case told AFP on Monday, reports FRANCE 24.

The 76-year-old actor, already accused in a string of sexual assault and rape cases, is suspected of falsely declaring his tax residency to be in Belgium since 2013, the source said.

A probe of his tax status, opened this month by financial crime prosecutors, has involved raids in France and Belgium as well as police interviews, the source said.

Depardieu himself – who is also suspected of failing to declare income – has not been questioned in the tax case so far, the source said, adding that the investigation was triggered by several tip-offs.

Depardieu is the highest-profile figure to face accusations in French cinema's version of the #MeToo movement.

In October, a Paris court postponed his trial on sexual assault charges until March after his lawyer said the star was too ill to appear in court. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.