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Gérard Depardieu is under formal investigation in France for alleged rape and sexual assault. Depardieu waves as he arrives at the Town Hall in Brussels for a ceremony on June 25, 2018.

(CNN) -- Gérard Depardieu is under formal investigation in France for alleged rape and sexual assault, judicial sources have confirmed to CNN. The movie star has been under investigation since December last year, they said.

Depardieus lawyer, Hervé Temime, told CNN the actor disputes the allegations of wrongdoing and reminds of the presumption of innocence and that this case was initially dropped last June. The case was recently reopened by the judiciary.

In 2018, the French actor was accused of rape and sexual assault by a 22-year-old woman, prompting a "preliminary investigation" according to the Paris public prosecutors office.

Temime said in 2018 when Depardieu was first accused that his client was "shocked" by the accusation and "totally denies any assault, any rape and any criminal act."

Depardieu is known for his roles in films like "Green Card," "The Man in the Iron Mask" and "Life of Pi." He was also nominated for an Oscar in 1991 for his leading role in "Cyrano de Bergerac."

He was granted Russian citizenship by Vladimir Putin after saying he was going to give up his French passport in protest at government plans for a tax hike on the richest.

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