Jean-Claude Van Damme on trafficking allegations
Jean-Claude Van Damme is setting the file straight after dealing with critical allegations linked to a prison investigation in Romania.
The motion film legend is responding to claims that he knowingly engaged bodily with 5 girls who have been allegedly victims of sexual exploitation at an occasion in Cannes.
In a agency assertion shared with PEOPLE, Van Damme’s agent Patrick Goavec didn’t mince phrases.
“We have become aware of articles alleging an alleged affair in Cannes involving Mr. Jean-Claude Van Damme,” Goavec stated, in a message translated from French.
“The reported facts are both grotesque and non-existent. Mr. Van Damme does not wish to comment or fuel this rumor, which is as absurd as it is unfounded.”
The response comes shortly after CNN affiliate Antena 3 reported {that a} prison criticism had been filed with Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).
The criticism alleges that Van Damme, 64, had intimate encounters with 5 Romanian girls at a Cannes occasion that he hosted—girls who have been reportedly supplied to him by a prison group led by Morel Bolea.
In accordance with the criticism, the ladies have been described as Romanian picture fashions and allegedly offered as a “gift” to the actor.
Legal professional Adrian Cuculis, representing one of many alleged victims, instructed Antena 3, “They were in a state of vulnerability, with the suspicion that they were exploited within the meaning of Article 182 of the Criminal Code.”
Cuculis additional defined, “At one point in Cannes, at an event organized by Jean-Claude Van Damme, several Romanians who are currently being investigated for the establishment of a criminal group and pimping allegedly offered Jean-Claude Van Damme five Romanian women — photo models in Romania — for him to have sexual relations [with].”
He added, “The person who received those benefits knew their condition. From the witness statements, it is very clear that Jean-Claude Van Damme knew that these people were being exploited.”
Antena 3 reported that one of many witnesses relayed their account to prosecutors, prompting DIICOT to launch a prison investigation involving the actor.
In the meantime, Morel Bolea denied any affiliation with Van Damme.
Legal professional Cuculis additionally instructed the outlet that the investigation is a part of a broader case into human exploitation, together with a five-year probe that includes trafficking and reportedly contains instances involving minors.
Whereas the main points unfold, Van Damme’s crew is sustaining a robust denial and selecting to not stir up what they name an unfounded narrative.
