"Contrary to what you might think, Toni Musulin is far from being the crook that we want to describe him as. He is an interesting man," defence lawyer Herve Banabanaste told a press conference in Lyon.

"He receives marriage proposals and requests for his face to appear on T-shirts. We are in quite an absurd situation but he is taking it with a lot of humour," he added, without saying how many proposals he had received.

More than nine million euros were recovered by police in an underground Lyon parking lot two days after his disappearance but Musulin has refused to provide any information on the missing 2.5 million euros.

Banabanaste declined to comment on when his client would break his silence on the money's whereabouts, saying only that "the moment will come when he will explain himself."

Musulin pleaded guilty last Wednesday to theft but is contesting a charge of attempted fraud.

The charge of attempted fraud relates to a separate case concerning a Ferrari which Musulin declared stolen but which authorities believe was smuggled out of the country.