Billionaires ‘haven’t paid a cent’ towards Notre Dame despite pledging millions

French billionaires who pledged to pay for repairs after the Notre Dame fire are still yet to pay ‘a cent’, a senior press official has said.

The huge fire broke out at the cathedral on April 15 earlier this year, destroying the building’s spire and most of the roof.

In the weeks after, several high-profile billionaires came forward and vowed to contribute vast sums of money towards the restoring the landmark.

But while some money has already been put forward for the repairs, it appears the generous tycoons are still yet to make good on their promises.

Andre Finot, senior press official at Notre-Dame, said: ‘The big donors haven’t paid. Not a cent.

‘They want to know what exactly their money is being spent on and if they agree to it before they hand it over, and not just to pay employees’ salaries.’

Instead, the majority of the funding has come from American and French individuals, who have donated through the cathedral’s Friends of Notre Dame charity.

This month, the charity will issue its first payment of 3.6 million euros, which will be used to pay the salaries of up to 150 workers.

The charity’s president Andre Picaud told the AP: ‘Americans are very generous toward Notre Dame and the monument is very loved in America. Six out of our 11 board members are residents in the US.’

François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of the luxury conglomerate Kering, and his wife, Salma Hayek were among the first to pledge money towards Notre Dame, promising a whopping 100 million euros.

Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of French energy firm Total, also stated that his company would match the same figure.

But both were soon topped by Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH and estimated richest man in France, who upped the ante and pledged 200 million euros.

When contacted by AP, the billionaires said they still intended to donate their money to Notre Dame’s restoration.