The Paris Court of Appeals has sentenced Pakistani-French fashion designer Mehmood Bhatti to a two-year suspended prison term and a €150,000 fine following his admission of guilt on charges of tax fraud and aggravated money laundering.
The court also imposed a 10-year ban preventing Bhatti from managing any company. Furthermore, authorities confiscated three luxury watches and three Jaguar vehicles from the designer.
The legal proceedings stem from an investigation revealing that Bhatti utilized a loan system involving a company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to fund his lifestyle.
The court found that the tax fraud occurred between 2009 and 2012, while the aggravated money laundering spanned from 2009 to 2014.
The final ruling follows an appeal of an initial conviction handed down in November 2024. Bhatti opted to admit to the charges during the appeal process to secure a reduced sentence.
This is not the first time the designer has encountered legal scrutiny. In 2001, authorities charged Bhatti with financial fraud during an investigation that uncovered a money-laundering network.
Bhatti moved from Pakistan to France in the mid-1970s at the age of 20. He established a commercial presence in Paris during the 1980s within the ready-to-wear fashion sector.
His career trajectory later served as the basis for a character portrayed by actor Richard Anconina in the 1997 French film La Vérité si je mens, which translates to Would I Lie to You?, directed by Thomas Gilou.
Throughout his career, Bhatti maintained a profile within international social and political circles.
Prior to the French court ruling, Bhatti faced legal disputes and physical altercations within Pakistan.
In February 2025, Bhatti appeared at the Lahore High Court (LHC) following an incident where he alleged he was manhandled in a civil court by a group of 30 lawyers. Bhatti stated to reporters at the LHC that the attack occurred at the behest of his elder brother, Advocate Munir Bhatti, who had filed 23 cases against him over a property dispute involving land allocated for an orphanage.
“I ask the chief justice what will happen to overseas Pakistanis?” Bhatti stated at the time, noting he had travelled from Paris and spent Rs1.4 million to attend the proceedings for four years. The dispute involved an appeal filed by Munir Bhatti before Justice Ali Baqar Najafi against the denial of the right to cross-examine a witness.
The LHC subsequently suspended the civil court proceedings, while the high court hearing was adjourned without progress.
