Betrayal, scandal, feuds and dodgy politicians... what might sound like the latest Hollywood blockbuster is actually the ongoing saga surrounding L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt and her fortune.
The trial of 10 people accused of exploiting Bettencourt and stealing hundreds of millions of euros was meant to open on Monday, but had to be delayed until Tuesday due to one of the accused attempting suicide - just to add some extra drama to the court proceedings.
The trial is estimated to take five weeks, and the conclusion will see the court rule on whether Bettencourt acted generously with her fortune, or whether her fragile mental state was exploited by money-grabbing opportunists.
For those who have not been following the case, here is a brief outline of what has happened so far:
2007 - Bettencourt’s daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, files a criminal complaint against photographer and socialite Francois-Marie Banier. Banier was a close confidant of Bettencourt’s, and the heiress showered him with gifts such as Picasso and Matisse paintings, life insurance funds and millions of euros in cash. She also made him her sole heir, before later revoking this decision. Bettencourt-Meyers filed charges against Banier for exploiting her mother’s mental fragility.
2009 - Bettencourt-Meyers launches a civil lawsuit to try and have Bettencourt declared legally irresponsible and placed under the authority of the court.
2010 - Secret recordings taken in Bettencourt’s office by her butler Pascal Bonnefroy are handed over to the police by Bettencourt-Meyers. The recorder reveals evidence of the heiress being manipulated by those around her. Bettencourt’s wealth manager, Patrice de Maistre, is reportedly heard in the tapes encouraging her to commit tax evasion and hand over envelopes of cash to UMP party members including labour minister Eric Woerth, the party’s treasurer. Woerth is accused of securing the sum of €150,000 and other undetermined amounts for the Nicolas Sarkozy presidential campaign.
2011 - Bettencourt is declared unfit to run her own affairs after a medical report shows she has been suffering from “mixed dementia” and “moderately severe” Alzheimer’s disease since 2006.
2012 - Bettencourt’s bid to remove her daughter and grandsons as her physical and financial guardians is turned down by a French appeals court.
The heiress steps down from the company board, and her seat is taken by her 25-year-old grandson, Jean-Victor Meyers.
Sarkozy is placed under formal investigation for illegal campaign financing and taking advantage of Bettencourt.
2013 - Charges against Sarkozy are dropped due to a lack of sufficient evidence.
2014 - 10 members of Bettencourt’s entourage face court for taking advantage of Bettencourt’s mental fragility.
