Françoise Bettencourt Meyers

In July 2016, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers was formally placed under investigation for witness tampering in a case involving a €300 000 loan to former accountant Claire Thibout. Investigators were seeking to determine whether the loan had influenced testimony.

Attribution

Personally implicated

In December 2007, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers filed a complaint against François-Marie Banier, alleging that he had taken advantage of her mother Liliane Bettencourt's vulnerability after receiving gifts valued at hundreds of millions of euros. The move triggered years of family and judicial conflict.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Protagonist is the complainant

In a 2012 interview, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers was questioned about approximately €100 million in assets her mother had placed in overseas structures and the associated tax reassessment. She stated that the matters had been regularised and the family had ensured that this was done.

State of the evidence

Admitted by the person

Attribution

Personally implicated

After a reconciliation agreement signed in late 2010, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers again applied to the courts in 2011 for a protective measure for her mother. Liliane Bettencourt's associates accused her of breaking the family peace. In October 2011, the judge eventually placed Liliane Bettencourt under the protection of her family.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Butler Pascal Bonnefoy secretly recorded approximately twenty-one hours of conversations at Liliane Bettencourt's home. He handed several CDs to Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, who had them examined and transcribed before passing them to police in June 2010. Their publication transformed the family dispute into a political and financial scandal.

State of the evidence

Documented