French court condemns actress Isabelle Adjani for tax fraud

The French court sentenced, this Thursday (14), the award-winning actress Isabelle Adjani to two years in prison under probation and a fine of 250 thousand euros (R$ 1.3 million) for tax fraud.

The actress from “Queen Margot” was convicted of declaring a donation of two million euros (R$10.6 million) as a loan, pretending to live in Portugal in 2016 and 2017 and transferring 120 thousand euros (R$ 637 thousand) through an undeclared account in the United States.

The court highlighted the “seriousness of the facts” that allowed him to evade 236 thousand euros in income tax and 1.2 million euros in property transfer taxes.

“These facts demonstrate Isabelle Adjani’s desire to hide from the tax administration” and to “severely undermine the equality of citizens” before the Federal Revenue, declared the president of the court.

“An actress with obvious talent is also a taxpayer,” said the judge.

His lawyer, Olivier Pardo, stressed that Adjani, who has always defended his innocence, “did not ask for better treatment” from the courts, due to his notoriety and added that, “with confidence and determination, they will present an appeal”.

The trial took place without the actress. Her lawyers unsuccessfully requested a postponement, claiming that she was in the United States and suffering from “an acute pathology incompatible with the plane.”

With five César awards from French cinema for best actress, the 68-year-old performer is one of France’s most beloved stars and, 30 years ago, she made a mark on French cinema by lending her face to “Queen Margot”.

Isabelle Adjani claimed that the two million euros were not a gift, but a loan from a friend, the influential Senegalese businessman Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).