French tycoon Bernard Tapie says he faces "total ruin" after a court ordered him to repay more than €400 million over a disputed business deal.
A Paris appeals court dismissed on Thursday Tapie's argument that he had been hoodwinked by a state bank into selling sportswear firm Adidas for less than its worth in 1992. The court ruled to the contrary that he had to repay €404 million ($440 million).
In an interview in Le Monde published on Friday, the 72-year-old said: "I am ruined, totally ruined."