A MOROCCAN gardener in Andalucia could become a billionaire after the heir to popular luxury clothing brand, Hermes, vowed to leave him a €6bn inheritance.
They say money doesn’t grow on trees, but for this lucky gardener it might just be true.
Known only as Jadil, he has worked on the finca of Hermes’ heir, Nicolas Puech Hermes, for many years.
While working at ‘Los Cuatro Vientos’, in Aracena, Huelva, he became a close confidant of the fashion tycoon.
Now, he could inherit the luxury brand’s fortune as Puech has begun legal proceedings to adopt the 50-year-old man.
Puech reportedly considers Jadil his ‘son’, having no children himself and being estranged from most of his family.
The 80-year-old is the fifth generation descendant of Thierry Hermes, who founded the brand in 1837.
Known for their handbags, Puech’s shares in the brand have now amassed a €12bn fortune.
Now, Puech wants to leave half, around €6bn, to his former gardener, according to Swiss media reports.
However, he will first have to cancel a ‘succession agreement’ made with the Isocrates Foundation in 2011, a charity dedicated to ‘the protection and promotion of public debate’.
Despite Puech being the founder and president of the charity, the foundation has announced it formally opposes the heir’s decision.
They said in a statement: “From a legal standpoint, the abrupt and unilateral annulment of a succession agreement appears void and unfounded.”
The foundation, founded to protect the public interest in journalism and media production, is based in Switzerland.
Therefore, the contract is subject to the Swiss Federal supervisory board for foundations.
It is believed the local community in Aracena is shocked by the news.
The former gardener is married to an Andalucian woman with two children, who Hermes reportedly refers to as his family.
The heir is thought to own about 5.7% of Hermes’ current shares, which have soared in value since the pandemic saw demand for luxury goods almost quadruple.
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