Gérard Depardieu
Paris (CNN) -
Gérard Depardieu is under formal investigation in France for alleged rape and sexual assault, judicial sources confirmed to CNN.
The movie star has been under investigation since December last year, they said.
The whistleblower is a young actress who accused the actor of various rapes and sexual assaults in the summer of 2018, the sources added.
Depardieu's lawyer, Hervé Temime, told CNN that the actor questions the allegations of wrongdoing and recalls the presumption of innocence and that this case was initially dropped last June.
The case was recently reopened by the judiciary.
In 2018, the French actor was charged with rape and sexual assault by a 22-year-old woman, prompting a "preliminary investigation" according to the Paris prosecutor's office.
In the French judicial system, a formal investigation takes place if officials find reasons to pursue the matter.
Temime said in 2018, when Depardieu was first charged, that his client was "shocked" by the accusation and "totally denies any assault, rape and criminal act."
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Then he added: "I have strong elements to prove that there was no crime" and that the crime was "the opposite" of Depardieu's personality.
The complaint was filed on August 27 and went to the Paris Prosecutor's Office on August 29.
"I regret that this investigation was not kept secret as usual," added Temime.
Also in 2018, Temime confirmed that Depardieu knows the woman who accused him, but denied having been with her during the dates mentioned in the complaint.
Depardieu is known for his roles in such films as "Green Card", "The Man in the Iron Mask" and "Life of Pi".
He was also nominated for an Oscar in 1991 for his lead role in "Cyrano de Bergerac."
Vladimir Putin granted him Russian citizenship after saying he was going to renounce his French passport in protest at the government's plans to increase taxes on the wealthiest.
