March 11 (UPI) -- French actor Gerard Depardieu remains under investigation for a rape accusation after a Paris appeal court denied the actor's effort to end the investigation.
"The chamber considers that there are, at this stage, serious and consistent signs justifying that Gerard Depardieu remain under investigation," the Paris appeal court said in a statement.
Actor Charlotte Arnould at first made the rape accusation anonymously, but she later went public. She said she "could not bear to remain silent any longer."
Depardieu's attorney has "firmly rejected" the accusation.
A 2019 rape investigation was dropped for lack of evidence. The current investigation began when a new alleged victim came forward.