French tycoon Bernard Tapie and wife tied up and beaten in late-night burglary

5 April 2021, 13:06

French tycoon Bernard Tapie and his wife were attacked during a late-night burglary on their vast estate, police said.

Four men broke into the house of the former French minister and owner of Adidas, in Combs-la-Ville, near Paris, in the early hours of Sunday morning while the couple were sleeping.

The pair were tied up with electrical cords and beaten by the burglars, who made off with stolen watches and jewellery.

Police were called after Dominique Tapie managed to free herself and ran to a neighbour's house.

She was taken to hospital for a checkup after she was injured by "many blows" to the face, local mayor Geoffrey Guy said.

The intruders also pulled Mrs Tapie's hair because they "wanted to know where the treasure was", he said, adding: "The violence was all the greater because there was not much to take."

Mr Tapie, who currently has stomach cancer, also received a blow to the head with a club, but declined medical care, prosecutor Beatrice Angelelli said.

The 78-year-old made his fortune by taking over failing companies and selling them for profit, but in 1997 spent five months in prison after being found guilty in a series of corruption and tax fraud cases.

He was also briefly minister for urban affairs in 1992, but following his convictions was stripped of the right to stand in any French election.