French star director: Luc Besson rejects allegations of rape

He has never raped a woman in his life, Luc Besson said Monday in an interview with the French television station BFMTV, dismissing the allegations of rape against him as false. "I've never forced a woman physically or morally into anything," Besson said. He had never given any drug to a woman. "This case is a lie from A to Z," said the 60-year-old.

Because of the allegation of rape, the French judiciary again investigates the star director - despite the opposition of the prosecutor. This had initially stopped the investigation in February, since the investigations had not substantiated the allegations.

French actress Sand Van Roy had reported to Besson for multiple rape. He had drugged and raped her in Paris during a meeting at the hotel, the actress said. However, a police investigation did not find any traces of a chemical substance in Van Roy's blood. The lawyer's lawyer, Francis Szpiner, approached the prosecutor directly after the cessation of investigations, accusing her of exceeding her powers in assessing the allegations.

Besson said Van Roy's statements, according to his lawyer at that time as "allegations from the realm of fantasy". He had always rejected all accusations. Now, however, Besson admitted that he had had an emotional relationship with this person for over two years. He lied to his family and wife and made mistakes, Besson said.

Months ago, Besson accused nine other women in the investigation of having sexually assaulted them and behaved inappropriately, including a former employee, according to the online newspaper "Médiapart".

Luc Besson became internationally known among other things with "in the intoxication of the depth" of 1988 and "Léon - the professional" from 1994. He has received several awards for his directorial work. In 2017 he shot the comic book adaptation "Valerian - The City of a Thousand Planets". Most recently, an action film about the double agent "Anna" appeared in the cinema.