LONDON (Kashmir English): Pakistani-born French fashion designer Mehmood Bhatti has denied reports claiming that he has been jailed in France, calling the news “false and misleading.”
In a video statement shared on social media, Mehmood Bhatti said that reports circulating in Pakistani and French media about him being sent to prison were incorrect and did not reflect the actual facts of the case.
“The impression being created by the media is contrary to reality,” he stated while rejecting claims that he had been imprisoned.
Earlier, French media, Le Monde, reported that Bhatti was handed a two-year suspended prison term, a €150,000 fine, and a 10-year ban in a tax fraud and money laundering case. Three watches and a Jaguar were also confiscated from him, it reported.
According to the report, he appeared before the Paris Court of Appeals and pleaded guilty to tax fraud and aggravated money laundering linked to activities between 2009 and 2014.
Investigators uncovered a web of financial flows routed through a UAE-based company, allegedly used to bankroll an extravagant lifestyle – far removed from the carefully cultivated image he projected for decades, it claimed.
