By Abiola Olawale
In a stunning twist of fate, Nicolas Puech, an 82-year-old heir to the Hermès luxury empire, is reportedly planning to bequeath a staggering $11 billion fortune, along with properties valued at $5.9 million, to his former gardener.
Puech, an unmarried and childless billionaire, who holds a significant stake in the Hermès, an iconic French fashion house, is reportedly taking steps to adopt a 51-year-old ex-employee, identified as Jadil Butrak, to secure his inheritance.
According to reports, Puech, a fifth-generation descendant of Hermès founder Thierry Hermès, has long been estranged from his family, a situation that has been fuelling speculation about his succession plan.
The emergency of this report came as a contrast to Puech’s reported intention to leave his fortune to the Isocrates Foundation, a charity he founded to support public-interest journalism.
However, according to reports, the multibillionaire suddenly had a change of heart and is reportedly said to have adopted Butrak.
Reports revealed that should the adoption get finalised, Butrak would become Puech’s heir and would be legally able to claim his inheritance which reportedly includes a luxurious property in Marrakesh, Morocco, and a villa in Montreux, Switzerland, alongside half of his estimated $11 billion net worth, derived largely from a 5.7% stake in Hermès International SCA.
This reported move would make Butrak, previously a handyman from a modest background, one of the wealthiest individuals overnight.
