Isabelle Adjani was sentenced to two years’ suspended imprisonment and a fine of 250,000 euros for tax fraud and money laundering, Thursday December 14, in Paris, in her absence. The five-César actress was found guilty of having fraudulently domiciled in Portugal in 2016 and 2017, of having passed off a donation of two million euros as a loan and of having passed 120,000 euros through an undeclared American account.
The court emphasized the “seriousness of the facts” which led to evading 236,000 euros in income tax and 1.2 million euros in transfer taxes. “These facts demonstrate Isabelle Adjani’s desire for concealment from the tax administration” And “seriously undermine the equality of citizens before taxes, and therefore the republican pact”declared the president, who added on the subject of Mme Adjani: “An actress of undeniable talent, she is nonetheless a taxpayer. »
The actress’s lawyers said they had heard the decision “with dismay”. “If Isabelle Adjani, who has always maintained her innocence, does not ask, given her notoriety, to be judged better than other litigants, there is no reason for her to be judged worse”declared one of them, Me Olivier Pardo. “It is therefore with confidence and determination that we will invite him to immediately file an appeal,” he said.
The trial, which was held on October 19, took place without the actress and singer, known in particular for her roles in The murderous summer (1983), Camille Claudel (1988), Queen Margot (1994) or more recently Masquerade (2022). While she was in the United States, her defense requested the postponement of the hearing, citing in particular a “acute pathology”but the court rejected this request, saying it doubted its “real intention” to come to the bar.
The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) had requested eighteen months of suspended prison time and a fine of 250,000 euros, as well as two years of ineligibility.