As we previously reported, Nicolas Puech, one of the heirs of Hermès, is ready to adopt his 51-year-old former gardener as his adopted son, so that he can let the former gardener inherit at least half of his more than 10 billion pounds (more than 90 billion yuan) of his fortune.
According to the media, Puech has now begun to go through the adoption procedures, but there is no small pressure from the outside world.
According to the local Swiss media newspaper Tribune de Genève, the former gardener is a Moroccan man who is married to a Hispanic woman and has two children. Puech liked the family very much, and usually referred to them as "my child", "my adopted son" and "my daughter-in-law".
Puech told the newspaper that he was particularly touched by the way the family had cared for him during the pandemic. According to a lawyer close to Puechi, during the pandemic, Puechi decided to cut ties with other acquaintances and maintain only a close relationship with the young man next to him.
However, not only is the adoption not necessarily successful, but it is also likely to send the gardener's family to prison.
First, Puech had already pledged his legacy back in 2011 to the Isocrates Foundation, a charitable organization he founded, which has a six-member board of directors, including Puechi. However, in February 2023, Mr. Puechi wrote a handwritten note in which he made a 180-degree turn about the distribution of the estate, saying that he had other arrangements in place.
This has sent the Isocrates Foundation into a panic, which has publicly announced that it is officially opposed to its founder's idea of changing his legacy. At the same time, the foundation said it could not judge the correctness of the process or background of Puechi's adoption of the former gardener.
In a statement, the foundation said: "The sudden and unilateral abrogation of the succession agreement looks unfounded and invalid." We are against this move and are ready to discuss it with the founders. ”
Meanwhile, according to the Swiss website 24heures, a "close" (usually a friend, relative, or close friend) to Puech has filed a lawsuit against the former gardener and his wife, the Swiss child and adult protection agency APEA. It is claimed that the "intrusive" couple exerted "more than normal influence" on Puech in order to obtain his legacy.
In addition, adoption of adults is not common in Switzerland. Adopting an adult requires that the adoptive party have a common relationship with the adoptee for at least part of the adoptee's childhood. Another provision is that an adult adoptee must live with his or her adoptive parents for at least one year while a minor.
Judging by these conditions, it is clear that the former gardener does not qualify as an adopted adult in Switzerland.
Moreover, there are all indications that the former gardener has received a great deal of wealth from Pueč. According to the Blick website, Puech has given 54 properties in his name, part of the cash to the former gardener, including the gifts from Pueč, the value has reached almost 60 million Swiss francs (more than 500 million yuan).
At the same time, the former gardener has access to an unlimited Puechi credit card and has spent hundreds of thousands of Swiss francs on luxury stores in Geneva.
If all this is true, and if Puech believes it, then he can always take the former gardener to court with a complaint. Not only would the former gardener lose his fortune, but he could also face jail time.
So the question is, will Puechi, who has been so deeply involved in the former gardener PUA, still believe what others say?