According to AFP, the Rennes Administrative Court rejected the request of Dembele's mother, Fatimata Dembele, on November 5, 2025. She requested that the tax levied on a €200,000 "gift" transferred to her son in 2017 to celebrate her 40th birthday be cancelled.

The court held that the date of transfer and the birthday were more than 6 months apart, so it was not convinced by this reason. In addition, the money was transferred to a bank account in Spain that was not declared to French tax authorities.

Fatimata Dembele filed with the court in April 2023 to reduce her income tax, high-income special contributions and social security surcharges in 2017, as well as corresponding fines.

Her lawyer Hubert Lefebvre argued at the hearing on October 15, 2025 that this "gift" was proportional to her son's income and emphasized that there was no tax evasion.

However, the court noted in its decision that the applicant failed to prove that the payment was not taxable. The court also said that tax authorities have the right to treat it as income from unknown sources and tax it in accordance with the law.

When reporters contacted Hubert Lefebvre, he was temporarily unavailable.