Isabel Adjani was sentenced today in Paris for tax evasion and money laundering to 2 years in prison with suspension and a fine of 250,000 euros, a decision which she will appeal.

Absent from her trial, the 68-year-old actress, who made her film debut in Claude Pinotto’s The Slap in 1974 when she was not even 20 years old, was found guilty of all charges for the period between 2013 and 2017.

Facts that, for the court, “demonstrate her will to “hide from the tax authorities” and “to undermine the equality of citizens before taxes”.

The five-time César award-winning actress, who has pleaded not guilty, was found guilty of declaring fictitious residence in Portugal in 2016 and 2017, thereby avoiding paying €236,000 in income tax.

In addition, he was sentenced for an amount of 2 million euros transferred in 2013 by Mamadou Diana Diah, a powerful businessman and friend of the actress, president of the National Olympic Committee of Senegal and also a member of the International Olympic Committee.

For the court, this amount, declared as a loan, was a “disguised donation”, which allowed the defendant, who at the time was experiencing financial difficulties, to avoid a donation tax of 1.2 million euros.

Finally, Adjani was found guilty of money laundering, as she transferred 119,000 euros to Portugal through an “undeclared” account in the US, with the court estimating that “the material and legal conditions of this operation could not have other justification than to conceal the origin and destination of this money”.

Her lawyers, Stéphane Babonneau, Olivier Pardeau and Laurence Douxin-Nedele, said they heard the decision “with concern”, “especially since Isabelle Adjani was unable to give an explanation before the court and the main witness of the events had for a long time informed that he could not be present.”

The trial on October 19 was held without the presence of the actress, famous for her roles in films such as “A Deadly Summer” (1983), “Camille Claudel” (1988), “Queen Margot” (1994) or more recently “Camouflage ” (2022), as she was in the US and without Diana Diah, who had been called as a witness. Her defense asked for the hearing to be postponed citing an “acute pathology”, but the court rejected the request, questioning her “real intention” to testify.

“Error”

“If Isabel Adjani, who continues to profess her innocence, is not asking, given her reputation, to be judged better than other citizens, there is no reason for her to be judged less well, with no fewer rights,” Pardo added.

“It is precisely for this reason that we strongly urge her to appeal.”

The court overruled the proposal of the National Economic Prosecutor’s Office, which had requested, during the trial, the imposition of an 18-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 250,000 euros, as well as a two-year ban on exercising civil rights.

The actress’ defense argued that she had made a “mistake” in her tax return while living in Portugal, as she had been given “bad advice” at the time.

Regarding the amount transferred by Diana Diae, the lawyers pointed out the good faith of the defendant, who had signed a “loan agreement under the supervision of a lawyer specialized in taxation”.

The investigation began in 2016 after the name of Isabel Adjani appeared in the Panama Papers list, as the owner of a company in the British Virgin Islands.