The Hermes saga has taken an interesting twist of tale.
Nicolas Puech, the heir to the fashion brand, who pledged to leave half of his wealth to his former gardener, is claiming that the money has disappeared.
As per reports, the 81-year-old approached the court that 6 million shares of Hermes he owned, estimated to be worth up to $13 billion (Rs 10,000 crore), had suddenly vanished.
The billionaire has alleged that his former wealth manager had a role in the loss of the shares.
However, his claims were rejected by the court as he did not have anything concrete to prove his wealth manager’s wrongdoings. “The ‘gigantic fraud' to which he was the victim was undetectable to common mortals,” the court said, reported NDTV.
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It is unclear whether the company's shares deposited in a bank in Geneva in 2012 are still available.
In 2023, Nicolas Puech, with no progenies, had promised to leave half of his wealth to his former gardener and handyman, planning to adopt him.
Nothing is known about the gardener apart from the fact he is 51- years old and from Morocco. He had worked for Mr. Puech for decades as a residence manager.
Though Hermes owns only 5.7% of the shares in the company, it makes him the largest individual shareholder in the company.
Nicolas Puech, as per Forbes, has a net worth of $11.7 billion, making him the world’s 161st-richest person in the world.
