Liliane Bettencourt No: 21 billionaire-2009
by saranya[ Edit ] 2010-03-08 15:49:34
Net Worth:$13.4 bil
Fortune:inherited
Source:L'Oreal
Age:86
Country Of Citizenship:France
Residence:Paris
Industry:Consumer Products
Education:NA,
Marital Status:widowed, 1 child
Europe's richest woman and L'Oreal's biggest shareholder is embroiled in a sensational scandal. Only daughter and heir, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, petitioned courts to investigate reported $1 billion worth of cash and gifts her mother allegedly gave to Francois-Marie Banier, 61, a well-known photographer, writer and painter whom she befriended. Daughter claims Banier took advantage of her mother, who became a widow in November 2007. Liliane denies it; mother and daughter apparently no longer speak. Case now in court. Not Bettencourt's first brush with scandal: her father, L'Oreal founder Eugene Schueller, is said to have had wartime ties to the Nazi regime. Fortune has taken a hit as L'Oreal's shares tumbled 45% from 2008 peak, nearly hitting 4-year low.
