The main defendant of three suspected of having profited from the fortune of the Schlumpf heiress, who lost millions of euros, fell ill on Thursday during a suspension of the hearing and will be taken to hospital.
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Josiane S., 68, presented in the investigation as the former “surrogate mother” of Cléophée Herrmann and who is being prosecuted for abuse of weakness, felt unwell when the hearing during which she appeared alongside her two daughters was over and the court was deliberating in another case.
The sixty-year-old, of strong build and who uses crutches, lay down on her bench and was quickly taken care of. One of her daughters, a cardiologist, gave her a cardiac massage, before the paramedics took care of her and took her out of the room, where there was intense heat, on a stretcher.
5 year sentence requested
The criminal court, which was to render its judgment in this case immediately on Thursday, finally decided to postpone its decision until October 17.
Previously, the representative of the public prosecutor, Eric Haeffele, had requested a sentence of five years in prison, including three years suspended on probation, and a committal warrant against Josiane S.
He had also requested the confiscation of all of her assets seized as part of the investigation, including the apartment in which she still lives, which she had purchased thanks to an interest-free loan from Cléophée worth several hundred thousand euros.
The magistrate denounced a “method known in the sectarian field”, which consists of “isolating the victim”, Cléophée Herrmann, whose “particular vulnerability” was highlighted by two expert reports, following the mourning of her mother, who died when she was only 11 years old, and then that of her grandmother, who died in 2008.
“Luxurious lifestyle”
It was this grandmother, Arlette, who made Cléophée the sole heir to the family fortune: more than 11 million euros from the Schlumpf family’s industrial empire.
“It is in this context that” Josiane S. will take advantage of the “emotional void” of Cléophée, who has experienced anorexia and depression, “to establish herself as a surrogate mother” and lead a “sumptuous lifestyle” with the desire to “capture the heritage” of the young woman, pointed out Mr. Haeffele.
Concerning his two daughters, Mathilde H., 33 years old, and Julia H., 40 years old, prosecuted for concealment of abuse of weakness, he requested the same sentence: 18 months in prison, including 12 probationary suspension and six months adjustable. He demanded that the three compensate the victim.
The lawyers of the two sisters, who dispute the facts, pleaded for acquittal.
Mr. Uzan pointed out the potential responsibility of Patrick Herrmann, Cléophée’s father who died in 2021, in the spoliation of the fortune. The investigation concerns 5.4 million euros that disappeared but the inheritance exceeded 11 million, the council recalled. Mr. Hermann “disposed of Cléophée’s money and Josiane benefited from it indirectly.”
Being there, “it’s revenge for me”
Earlier, Cléophée, now a waitress who earns “between 1,200 and 1,300 euros” per month, spoke at the bar. Being there, “is revenge for me. I rebuilt myself, I had ups and downs, I understood real life,” continued in a confident voice the mother of a little boy for whom she “fights.”
Josiane S. for her part claimed to have noticed nothing of Cléophée’s psychological weakness.
Wearing a loose black dress and a surgical mask on her face, she tried to downplay her relationship with Cléophée, maintaining that she was “not so” close to her, but rather, “in a friendly way”, to Patrick Herrmann, who had distant ties with his daughter.
Cleophée “always gave freely” and “she was the one who dominated her friends…”, she assured.
Mathilde and Julia, who notably benefited from an interest-free loan of 150,000 euros each for an apartment and numerous luxury gifts, also assured that they never perceived Cléophée’s fragility.
Julia was harsh with her mother, who had power of attorney over her accounts, accusing her of having “manipulated” her daughters.
