The black series continues for Bernard Tapie. The former businessman suffers from very aggressive metastasized cancer and does not hide the seriousness of his state of health. First affected by a double tumor in the esophagus and stomach, the disease has today spread to his lungs and neck in particular. But the former politician does not give up and is currently undergoing experimental treatment, but his aggressiveness has forced him to give up performing at the theater, he who dreamed of replaying in the play Vol over a cuckoo’s nest .
In addition to his serious health problems, Bernard Tapie also faces a long legal battle. The former businessman is still entangled in the Adidas-Credit Lyonnais case. After selling Adidas to Crédit Lyonnais in 1993, Bernard Tapie accused the French bank of having undervalued the famous sports brand in order to make a huge profit at its expense. In 2006, a private arbitral tribunal made up of three judges had ruled in favor of it, ordering Credit Lyonnais – and therefore the state which owned the bank at the time of the takeover – to pay it more than 400 million euros.
Ordered to pay 438 million euros
However, this private arbitration was quickly called into question by the courts, on suspicion of favoritism, before being canceled. Ten new years of procedure will follow. This time, the scales of justice do not tip the side of the ex-businessman. The latter was judged in March 2019 for “scam” and “embezzlement of public funds”. The prosecution, which considers that the arbitration was “Rigged” then requires 5 years in prison against him. And Bernard Tapie is not at the end of his pain. According to AFP, this Friday, February 28, the Paris Court of Appeal condemned the 77-year-old former minister to repay his debts and to pay 438 million euros to his creditors. An astronomical sum which corresponds to the amount received after private arbitration to which interest has been added.
However, this decision does not signify the end of this case, which has been dragging on for more than 20 years. Bernard Tapie’s lawyer, Maître François Kopf, has announced his intention to appeal to the Cour de Cassation.
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