Reality TV star, Kim Kardashian, is expected to testify in a Paris courtroom on Tuesday, nearly nine years after she was robbed at gunpoint during Fashion Week in the French capital.
The entrepreneur was targeted in October 2016 by masked men who stole approximately $10 million worth of jewellery from her private residence.
Ten suspects have been on trial since late April in connection with the robbery, which took place at a luxury hotel in central Paris.
The proceedings have drawn intense media interest, with nearly 500 journalists accredited and fans expected to gather outside the courthouse on the historic Île de la Cité in hopes of seeing the celebrity.
Kardashian is scheduled to take the stand at 2:00 p.m. local time and may address the media afterward. Her French lawyers, Leonor Hennerick and Jonathan Mattout, confirmed her attendance last week, stating, “She is committed to attending in person… with dignity and courage.”
The star was 35 at the time of the robbery and was alone in her hotel suite when the intruders tied her up, taped her mouth, and threatened her with a firearm. Among the stolen items was a diamond ring worth 3.5 million euros ($3.9 million), a gift from her then-husband, Kanye West.
Often referred to in the French press as the “heist of the century,” the robbery remains one of the most high-profile thefts involving a private individual in France in the last two decades. Those standing trial are mostly men in their 60s and 70s with prior criminal histories, many of whom have nicknames like “Old Omar” and “Blue Eyes,” reminiscent of figures from 1960s and 1970s French crime films.
Lead investigator Michel Malecot described the group as a “team” but noted that they “made some mistakes,” including leaving DNA evidence that led to their identification. One of the accused, 68-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, known as “Old Omar,” admitted to restraining Kardashian but denied orchestrating the robbery.
Another defendant, 71-year-old Yunice Abbas, even published a book recounting his involvement, including a mishap in which his bag got stuck in the wheel of his bicycle during the getaway, causing him to fall and scramble to gather the stolen items.
Investigators believe Kardashian’s whereabouts were tipped off by Gary Madar, brother of her Paris driver, though his lawyer dismissed the theory, arguing her 350 million followers already knew her location through social media.
The court also heard that Kardashian had considered going out that night with her sister Kourtney but ultimately decided to stay in. Her bodyguard and replacement driver arrived too late after she attempted to contact them during the incident.
“I saw that the lift was on the first floor, where Kim was staying,” said bodyguard Pascal D., describing the moment he found Kardashian in distress. “She was in a terrible state. She was crying hysterically. I asked what had happened, and she said she’d been robbed.”
Kardashian’s legal team noted that she “is genuinely grateful” to French authorities for the respect and professionalism shown throughout the investigation.
The trial is expected to conclude on May 23.
