Gérard Depardieu puts his Legion of Honor “at the disposal” of the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, who has announced a disciplinary procedure which could lead to the withdrawal of this distinction, the actor’s lawyers said in a press release sent , Saturday December 16, at Agence-France Presse.
The latter question the minister’s approach, wondering if she “is not dealing (…) an additional blow to an already dying presumption of innocence.” Gérard Depardieu has been indicted since 2020 for rape, following a complaint from an actress, Charlotte Arnould, accusations which he contests.
Me Béatrice Geissmann Achille and Christian Saint-Palais also wonder if it is in Rima Abdul Malak’s “function” to participate “also actively in the manhunt” and the “media lynching” which they believe their client is about.
“A council of the order of the Legion of Honor will meet and will initiate a disciplinary procedure to decide whether this Legion of Honor should be suspended or not, withdrawn completely or not. It will be up to them to decide,” said Ms. Abdul Malak on France 5 on Friday.
The Minister of Culture says she “discussed” the subject with the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor, General Lecointre. She also said she was “disgusted”, during a trip on Friday, by the actor’s comments and attitude during a trip to North Korea in 2018, which are “shameful to France”.
A second complaint for sexual assault
In these images, revealed by a report from “Complément d’investigation” broadcast on France 2 at the beginning of December, the ex-sacred monster of French cinema multiplies misogynistic and insulting remarks while addressing women, not sparing a single little girl with her obscene remarks. “A contested and questionable program which broadcasts a montage of images captured in the intimate and private sphere,” criticize the actor’s lawyers in their press release on Saturday.
Concomitantly with the broadcast of “Complément d’investigation”, a second complaint for sexual assault was filed by the actress Hélène Darras, for facts a priori prescribed, dating back to 2007 on a set. The actor also denies these accusations.
Gérard Depardieu received the Legion of Honor from French President Jacques Chirac in 1996. Created by Emperor Napoleon I at the beginning of the 19th century, this distinction rewards civilians and soldiers for acts and services rendered to France. Many artists are awarded it.
The code of the Legion of Honor provides that “behavior contrary to honor” can lead to reprimand, suspension or exclusion from the order.