Crispin Odey, one of Europe's highest-profile hedge fund managers, has been charged with indecent assault, U.K. prosecutors said.
Mr. Odey was charged with one count under the Sexual Offenses Act, and is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in September, the Crown Prosecution Service said Friday. The charge relates to an incident in the summer of 1998, the CPS said.
Mr. Odey declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg.
Mr. Odey, a backer of Brexit and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is known for his eye-catching comments and bearish market outlook. The 61-year-old was one of a small number of bearish investors to profit from the market crash earlier this year, after comparing the current pandemic to the Great Depression of the 1930s.
But by the end of the first half Mr. Odey's flagship hedge fund, which manages $624 million, had slumped to a 17.9% loss. The fund's losses come despite Odey Asset Management reportedly making at least €25 million ($29 million) betting against shares in scandal-hit German payment company Wirecard.
The performance follows years of losses as Mr. Odey maintained bearish bets during an historic bull run.
