Jean-Claude Van Damme denies sex trafficking allegations against him: ‘Grotesque and non-existent’

Top action star Jean-Claude Van Damme’s representative, Patrick Goavec, has responded to serious allegations claiming the Hollywood actor engaged in sexual activity with five Romanian victims of sex trafficking, following the filing of a criminal complaint.

“We have become aware of articles alleging an alleged affair in Cannes involving Mr. Jean-Claude Van Damme. The reported facts are both grotesque and non-existent,” Goavec stated, as quoted by People magazine. “Mr. Van Damme does not wish to comment or fuel this rumour, which is as absurd as it is unfounded,” the statement added.

For the unversed, the 64-year-old action star — known for his roles in Kickboxer, Double Impact, Street Fighter and The Expendables 2 — has been accused of knowingly having sex with five Romanian women who were victims of human trafficking. Multiple criminal charges have reportedly been filed against him in Romania.

According to a CNN affiliate, the criminal complaint was submitted to the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). It alleged that Van Damme knowingly engaged in sexual activity with women trafficked by a criminal network said to be headed by Romanian businessman and modelling agency owner Morel Bolea.

The complaint claims the women were allegedly “presented” to Van Damme as a “gift”, and that the purported encounters took place in Cannes during an event he had organised, as reported. However, no specific timeline for the alleged incidents was given.

Adrian Cuculis, the lawyer representing one of the alleged victims, told the outlet that the women “were in a state of vulnerability, with the suspicion that they were exploited”.

“At one point in Cannes, at an event organised by Jean-Claude Van Damme, several Romanians who are currently being investigated for the establishment of a criminal group and pimping allegedly offered Jean-Claude Van Damme five Romanian women — photo models in Romania — for him to have sexual relations (with),” Adrian said, according to an English translation.

Cuculis also stated that this case forms part of a broader investigation into human trafficking and the exploitation of minors, which has been underway since 2020 under the supervision of Romania’s prosecutor’s office.