Jean-Jacques Annaud sentenced for laundering tax fraud

Jean-Jacques Annaud was sentenced Tuesday in Paris for laundering tax evasion to nine months suspended prison sentence and a fine of 120,000 euros, as part of an appearance on prior admission of guilt.

The 77-year-old director was sentenced for not having declared to the tax authorities more than one million euros paid in 1997, corresponding to part of his remuneration for

.

This film generated 110 million euros at the global box office.

This sum was in a "

" called

and located in Guernsey then in the Cayman Islands, before being transferred to Hong Kong, had revealed in 2017, as part of "

", Radio France and

, members of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

Read also: The hunt for tax evasion intensifies

At the time, the director's lawyer had described his client as a "

", saying that this payment method had been decided by the American producer of the film, Sony studios.

During a hearing Tuesday, the Paris court approved the sentence proposed by the national financial prosecutor's office, stressing that the defendant admitted the facts, that he had "

" with the tax authorities and qualifying the suggested sanctions as ""

”.

To read also: Jean-Jacques Annaud: "I make a trade of player"

The director's lawyer, Eric Delloye, asserted that his client had "

" and that he had "

" the sum in question, because it was still in the hands of the manager of the "

".

“

”he told AFP.

Since the revelations of the press, the director has initiated proceedings with the tax administration, to which he will pay a total of one million euros - 600,000 euros in taxes evaded over twenty years, as well as penalties .

Jean-Jacques Annaud, winner of several César, has notably directed

(1986),

(1988) and

(2004), as well as the series

.