“SVS Groupe, isn’t that your children’s initials?“, questions President Edouard Levrault. Magali Berdah, 42, described as “social media priestess“, a charismatic representative of influencers, denies this.
Prosecuted in criminal court in Nice for bankruptcyMagali Berdah was officially employed as general director of the company BA and Co, 100% owned by SVS Groupe.
After two years of existence, the Nice insurance brokerage company collapsed with liabilities of 2.5 million eurosleaving dozens of employees behind.
The official manager was initially Samyra, 37, a childhood friend. The young woman remained silent in 2022 during 48 hours of police custody in the judicial police offices.
Same silence in court. Patricia, 72 years old, the mother of Magali Berdah, former nursing assistant at the Saint-Tropez hospital, was the second manager. She is not here to explain, due to health issues.
Fortunately for the interest of the debates, Magali Berdah is talkative. Particularly regarding the bank account opened by a secretary where money from the company, already in bad shape, was transferred.
The employee, because of the managers of SVS Groupe, found herself drawn into a legal turmoil which, clearly, was beyond her control.
“Indeed, he was asked to provide a service to society.”, admits Magali Berdah “But we don’t know who used the payment items from this account“, President Levrault despairs. “I was not prohibited from managing, I could very well have been a manager“, hammered Magali Berdah. “I was an employee. I brought a ton of contracts to this company with the salespeople that I all trained.”
An absent mother
“Who thought of your mother to manage the business?“, inquires the magistrate.”She had already managed businesses before I was born.” “Did she have the skills?” “My mother is not mentally retarded. Her heart is feeling less and less well otherwise she would have come.”
Except that she never answered the questions of the liquidator regarding the management of SVS Groupe and its subsidiary BA and Co.
The commercial court noted the absence of accounting and ordered her to repay 2.1 million euros…
“If I’m the one responsible, why didn’t the commercial court summon me?“, defends Magali Berdah, always so offensive. “Did you have power of attorney over the BA and Co accounts?“, questions the president who is trying to understand payments in hotels in Monaco, purchases of shoes, clothes….”I don’t think so. It’s been ten years… Maybe I’m wrong. I remember transferring money from my mother to help her get out of her situation.“
Me Franck De Vita stands up and criticizes the investigation: “The best thing would have been to have the powers of attorney and checks on file!“
Magali Berdah continues her speech smoothed like her hairstyle: “If you think that I am the manager, I will assume the consequences but for me it is absurd, ten years after the fact. I was accused of spending 22,000 euros, not 2 million.“
Magali Berdah got out of the BA and Co trap in 2015 and bounced back spectacularly with the founding of the company Shauna Events, number one influencer agency who shaped the image of a savvy business leader.
An image that the Nice trial risks further tarnishing.
Especially since the prosecutor Sylvie Maillard recalls that the defendant has already left 350,000 euros in social debts in the past through the collapse of three companies.
Prosecutor Sylvie Maillard believes that Magali Berdah was the de facto manager of the company BA and CO, an insurance brokerage company.
The magistrate of the Nice public prosecutor’s office requires 18 months in prison, including one year suspended.
The firm part of the sentence may be arranged to be carried out at home under electronic monitoring. A definitive ban on management is also requested.
Lawyer for the company’s liquidator, Me Thibault Pozzo du Borgo, claimed 1.6 million euros from Magali Berdah and the three defendants for the loss suffered by the creditors.
