Photographer jailed for cheating heiress
A society photographer was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday for bamboozling Liliane Bettencourt, heir to the L’Oreal cosmetics empire and France’s wealthiest woman, out of hundreds of millions of euros.
A string of former advisers were also convicted but the Bordeaux court cleared Eric Woerth, Nicolas Sarkozy’s former presidential campaign treasurer, of taking cash donations from Bettencourt before his 2007 election victory.
Photographer Francois-Marie Banier, 67, was found guilty of ‘‘abusing the weakness’’ of Bettencourt, who once said he was the only man who made her laugh. She is now 92 and suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Banier was also handed a sixmonth suspended prison sentence, fined 350,000 (NZ$536,000) and ordered to pay 158 million (NZ$242.29m) in damages.
Woerth had been accused of misusing his position of influence to secure favours from Patrice de Maistre, Bettencourt’s wealth manager, by urging him to employ his wife in exchange for receiving the Legion of Honour. He was cleared of all charges.
The Bettencourt affair erupted more than seven years ago when Bettencourt’s daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, began legal action against Banier, saying he had persuaded her to hand over 1 billion in cash, insurance policies and art, including works by Picasso, Matisse and Mondrian.
It turned into a political scandal amid allegations of tax evasion and illegal party funding. Sarkozy was placed under formal investigation for illegal campaign financing and taking advantage of Bettencourt. The charges were later dropped for lack of evidence.
Banier first met Bettencourt when he photographed her for a magazine. In court, he claimed he enjoyed her company and had no need of her money.
When her daughter claimed he was manipulating her, Bettencourt insisted she could spend her time and money as she saw fit, briefly making Banier sole heir to her fortune, estimated at 33b by Forbes magazine.
In court, Banier said it ‘‘gave her immense pleasure’’ to shower him with gifts, and she got angry when he refused.
The presiding judge, Denis Roucou, said Banier had a ‘‘real psychological and moral hold’’ over Bettencourt, whose faculties were failing as early as 2006.
‘‘She found herself at the mercy of men in whom she placed her trust.’’
He had stern words for Woerth despite his acquittal, saying there remained a ‘‘strong suspicion that money was handed over’’.
De Maistre was sentenced to 18 months in prison for exploiting Bettencourt’s frailty and for money laundering, as was her former lawyer. Martin d’Orgeval, Banier’s partner, was found guilty on the same charges and received a suspended sentence.
After the verdict, BettencourtMeyers said: ‘‘My first thought naturally goes to my mother, for her honour and dignity, and then to all her family – ours.’’ Banier and de Maistre will appeal.
Telegraph Group
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