Gerard Depardieu has been banned from driving for six months in France.
The 64-year-old actor, who failed to appear in court in January after crashing his scooter in Paris in November 2012 and was found with three times the legal amount of alcohol in his system, had his licence suspended in the city's criminal court on Friday morning (21.06.13) and was ordered to pay a â¬4,000 fine.
The French star, who became a Russian resident in February after renouncing his French citizenship because of his anger at President Francois Hollande's proposed 75 per cent tax hike on the super-rich, reportedly could have been jailed for up to two years for the incident but the ban is unlikely to affect him as he no longer lives in the country.
Although Depardieu did not have to be present at the pre-trial hearing in January, his no-show meant the case turned into a full trial.
The award-winning actor denied intentionally missing the court date, insisting he had planned a trip to Montenegro at the time and a late appeal for adjournment was denied by prosecutors.
The 'Life of Pi' star said: "I did not flee judges or justice. The trip to Montenegro had been planned. I notified the court. I am ready to see them any time they like, provided I'm here to defend myself."
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