FIFA President Joseph "Sepp" Blatter, left, and French-Russian actor Gerard Depardieu, right, arrive for the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2013 held at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland, on Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. French actor Gerard Depardieu has received a Russian passport after he sought Russian citizenship as part of his battle against a proposed super tax on millionaires in France. (AP Photo/Keystone/Walter Bieri)
January 08, 2013 - 1:41 AM
PARIS - French actor Gerard Depardieu's lawyer has said his client will not turn up at a Paris court to face charges of drunk driving on his scooter last November.
Eric de Caumont confirmed his client's no show to journalists outside Paris' Palais de Justice on Tuesday.
The 64-year-old star was picked up last November by police after he fell off his scooter in northwest Paris.
Depardieu has caused controversy in recent weeks for other reasons: last Saturday he received a Russian passport from President Vladimir Putin.
Depardieu has threatened to return his French passport in December after Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called him "pathetic" for deciding to move to tax-friendly Belgium.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013