In The Billionaire, The Butler, and the Boyfriend, François-Marie Banier became the reason for the legal dispute between Liliane Bettencourt and her daughter, but as more secrets came to light, people stopped caring about his case.
Arielle Dombasle introduced Banier to Liliane. He was commissioned to take pictures of Liliane, who was going to give an interview to an elitist magazine featuring high-profile personalities.
Banier was unlike any of the people that Liliane used to meet. He was quite straightforward and wasn’t afraid to express his opinions. Liliane took a liking to his personality because this nature of his was new to her.
The two became close, but the difference in their social standings saw Liliane shower Banier with gifts. With time, Banier became a lot more demanding, to the point that he troubled Liliane’s staff for money and even expressed the desire to be the son that Liliane never had.
Liliane’s daughter, François, lost it after that. She filed a complaint against him. However, conversations recorded by a butler in Liliane’s living room revealed a far larger conspiracy, and everybody stopped talking about Banier as the focus shifted.
What happened to Banier?
Banier was brought to the criminal court by François. Banier was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, a substantial fine of 350,000 euros, and 150 million in compensation.
In her will, Liliane told François to transfer the Seychelles island property and half of the one billion French Francs that she will receive to Banier. These arrangements were never implemented after Liliane’s death.
However, Banier appealed to the court for another trial, in which his sentence was reduced, and he also got away without paying 150 million euros. He is sentenced to pay 1 euro in compensation to François.
Today, Banier continues to be a pretty successful artist and photographer. Banier’s work has been presented at events such as the 35th edition of the International Festival of Fashion, Photography, and Fashion Accessories.
He has also held an exhibition at the Arthur Rimbaud Museum. More recently, he held an exhibit of his own at New York City’s Miguel Abreu Gallery.
Also Read: The Billionaire, The Butler, and the Boyfriend review: Captivating and dramatic