French businessman Bernard Tapie, known for his purchase and subsequent sale of the sports brand Adidas, was attacked and robbed at his home this Saturday night while he was with his wife, the French media reported this Sunday.

The couple was beaten and handcuffed with electric cables and the thieves, four individuals who entered the home through a window on the first floor when they were sleeping, took jewelry and watches, said the station France Info.

The robbery took place around 00:30 pm (22:30 GMT) at his home in Combs-la-Ville, a wealthy town in the Paris region.

The wife, Dominique, managed to free herself and alert the neighbors, who called the emergency services.

Firefighters took the woman to the hospital for examination while Tapie, 78, refused to go.

The Judicial Police of Versailles has opened an investigation for robbery aggravated with violence and kidnapping.

The former businessman, former president of the Olympique de Marseille club (1986-1994), suffers from stomach and esophageal cancer.

The also former Minister of Urban Planning was accused in the past of fraud and embezzlement of public funds in the arbitration case for which he obtained 404 million euros to settle the conflict with the Credit Lyonnais bank for the sale of Adidas.

Justice seized Adidas from him in the 90s and later attributed that sports brand to Credit Lyonnais, who resold it for a significantly higher price.

Tapie demanded compensation for considering that he had suffered economic and moral damage in that operation. His claim, after being in the hands of the ordinary courts for years, ended up being dealt with by that controversial arbitration.

The civil procedure ordered him to reimburse the sums received. The appeal trial was scheduled for last October, but was postponed to next May due to his health.

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