One of the descendants of the founder of Hermès, the famous French leather goods house, wants to adopt his domestic employee in order to bequeath him part of his fortune of several billion Swiss francs, the Tribune de Genève said on Friday.
Based in Switzerland in the canton of Valais, in the south of the country, Nicolas Puech is “the largest individual shareholder of Hermès” with a stake of around 5%, explains the Swiss daily.
Single and childless, this octogenarian decided to “turn his estate upside down” to pass on part of his fortune to a “former gardener and handyman”, “aged 51” and “from a modest Moroccan family” , according to the Tribune de Genève.
According to Bilan magazine, which each year establishes a ranking of the 300 richest people in Switzerland, his fortune is estimated at 9 to 10 billion Swiss francs (9.4 to 10.4 billion euros) thanks to his actions in the leather goods house known for its handbags and silk squares.
In a letter dating from “October 2022”, this descendant of the founder of Hermès instructed a lawyer to “put his inheritance situation in order”, explains the daily which specifies that this lawyer would also have been mandated to carry out an inheritance procedure. adoption, “still in progress”, according to his information.
“In Switzerland, adopting an adult is not impossible, but unusual,” details the daily, explaining that if the procedure is successful, he could inherit “at least half” of his fortune.
Contacted by AFP, the Valais administration did not immediately provide a response to confirm or not this procedure.
This project, however, faces opposition, continues the Swiss daily. In 2011, Nicolas Puech signed an inheritance pact – more binding than a will – in favor of a foundation based in Geneva, called Isocrate, which finances projects to combat disinformation through NGOs supporting journalism.
But in “a handwritten note” dating from “February 2023”, consulted by the daily, the billionaire made an “about-face”, explaining that he “intends to make other testamentary arrangements”.
Contacted by AFP, this foundation indicated that it had “recently learned of the desire of its founder to cancel the inheritance pact” but was however “unaware of any other provisions”.
“This desire to unilaterally cancel the inheritance pact seems unfounded,” considers this foundation, which “opposed it while leaving the door open to a discussion,” it insists.
The foundation says it regrets that “its public utility activities” are “threatened in their sustainability” by circumstances “which are completely beyond its control”, against a backdrop of “interpersonal conflict and desires of all kinds”.