The story says that in the early 1970s a £3million loan has been offered by sir Sean Connery to a very close friend, at that time, the French businessman Jean René, or JR as he was called by his friends. He wanted to use the money for the acquisition of land which he intended to build property on.

It seems that after some time, Sean Connery decided to sell the collateral Mr René had offered, although members of the Rene family declared that the loan was being reimbursed according to their engagement.

Some newspapers even published the information according to which the interest Sean Connery charged for the loan was of almost 1000 per cent. The collateral sold by the ex James Bond is consisted of properties on the French Riviera, shares and diamonds, which is considered to exceed by far the initial value of the loan.

After Mr René died in Switzerland in 2002, the members of his family have begun legal proceedings to recover the profits from the sales. The case, for which Sir Sean Connery has been summoned, will take place next week at the Palais de Justice in Geneva.