Film star Gerard Depardieu on Tuesday failed to show up at the court in Paris where he faces charges of drunk driving, after collecting his new Russian passport on the weekend in Moscow.

The famous actor has attracted world attention by proclaiming his new choice to become a Russian citizen, in a bid to avoid a high tax rate on millionaires proposed by President Francois Hollande's government but turned down by the French Consitutional Council.

"Depardieu went to Montenegro, where he must participate in organizing a film festival," his lawyer revealed in a interview with the BFMTV Tuesday morning, explaining that the actor's absent for summons does not mean he "wants to escape the French justice, neither in one way or another."

Depardieu has pleaded guilty earlier as he was reported to have ridden a motocar after drinking three times more than the alcohol limit.

He showed up Monday evening at the annual Ballon D'Or football award ceremony in Switzerland.

The French Constitutional Council last month ruled out 75-percent income tax rate on earnings over 1 million euros (1.319 U.S. dollars) per year, a key measure of Hollande's election campaigns.

The policy has been under attack after being recently approved by the government and has caused some wealthy citizens, including Depardieu who was once considering to move to Belgium.

In his New Year Eve greeting message, Hollande reiterated that the French wealthy have to help more in restoring public finances, while urging the prime minister to redraft new proposals on tax.

Via high taxes on the rich, he has hoped to cut the public gap by 1.5 point percentage to 3 percent of GDP in 2013.

French Junior Minister for the Budget Jerome Cahuzac told French media on Sunday the new tax will be part of this year's finance law, and if it is approved, the tax will be included in the government's budget for 2014. Endi

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