Ursula Andress may have nearly £20m in assets returned after ‘embezzlement’
After she filed a criminal complaint in January against her former asset manager Eric Freymond, actress Ursula Andress may have nearly £20 million in assets returned after Italian authorities seized funds they say were embezzled from her.
Ursula Andress may have nearly £20 million in assets returned after Italian authorities seized funds they say were embezzled from her.
The original Bond girl, 90, best known for her role in Dr. No, filed a criminal complaint in January against her former asset manager Eric Freymond, who died aged 67.
Italian financial police, the Guardia di Finanza, said the assets – including a country estate, artworks and financial holdings – were linked to alleged money laundering and self-laundering offences.
Investigators in Italy and Switzerland identified “significant connections” between transactions tied to Ursula’s finances and activity in the Florence area, prompting intervention.
Authorities said around £16 million of Ursula’s estimated £18 million fortune had been lost.
Eric is alleged to have carried out transactions without her knowledge, including art purchases that were never delivered.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by his wife Caroline Freymond, in whose name some assets were reportedly held.
Ursula told Blick: “For eight years, I was courted and wooed. They lied to me ruthlessly and exploited my goodwill and trust in a perfidious, even criminal, way to take everything from me. And they were counting on my age. I’m so devastated.”
She added: “This feeling of helplessness is unbearable – it’s killing me.”
Ursula also told BILD: “It’s a huge shock and a painful disappointment for me. This has been in the works for many years – they gained my trust through deception.
She added: “I’ve been disgustingly cheated! I hope the perpetrators are punished to the full extent of the law.”
A statement from Ursula’s management to Blick said: “As part of a fraud scheme of exceptional scale and complexity, involving numerous actors and structures, she was deprived of a large portion of her assets, resulting in significant damage.”
The statement added: “Out of consideration for the ongoing proceedings, Ms Andress does not wish to make any further comments at this time. The Vaud cantonal judicial authorities have been tasked with fully investigating the manipulations and clarifying criminal and civil liability.”
Ursula rose to prominence in the 1960s, appearing alongside Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Marcello Mastroianni, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Peter Sellers, and later appeared in Casino Royale.
She won a Golden Globe for new star of the year for her performance as Honey Ryder.
Ursula also reflected on her personal life, including her relationship with Harry Hamlin, with whom she shares a son, Dimitri Alexander Hamlin.
Harry said in an interview with the Daily Beast: “I didn’t grow up with my son, Dimitri. Any son who doesn’t grow up with his father has issues. You can’t grow up without having a dad and not have that affect your life.”
