The founder of the newspaper Fakir and Picardie deputy standing!, François Ruffin, presented him as the “sponsor” and the “beneficiary” of his espionage at the bar of the court. Bernard Arnault, France's richest man and president of luxury giant LVMH, had to answer questions from the courts on the morning of Thursday, November 28.
Summoned as a civil party, the billionaire had to explain his role in the “Squarcini affair”, named after the former head of Internal Intelligence, suspected of having taken advantage of his networks to obtain confidential information and privileges for the benefit of clients, including the luxury group.
“Exceptional justice”
At the opening of the trial on November 13, François Ruffin criticized “the weight of the oligarchy in democracy” and denounced a « justice d’exception » which allowed Bernard Arnault, through a guilty plea and the payment of a fine of 10 million euros, to escape the criminal court, in 2021. François Ruffin had contested, in vain, this agreement judicial public interest (Cjip), even before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which ruled his request inadmissible in May 2023.
Arriving in a full room, where the French press jostled, Bernard Arnault immediately affirmed that he had not “no knowledge” of espionage from the editorial staff of Fakir. “I would like to remind you that I am here as a witness, a simple witness, and that my indictment was never considered by the investigating judges”he insisted. While explaining that his group “always acts in legal compliance”the billionaire blamed this operation on Pierre Godé, former number two in the company… who died in 2018 and was therefore unable to defend himself. “If I had known that LVMH wanted to infiltrate FakirI would have vetoedthe billionaire justified himself. Infiltrating a bunch of clowns is no use (…) It's not my place to judge the actions of a deceased person. »
Bernard Squarcini is notably accused of having overseen a surveillance operation, between 2013 and 2016, against the newspaper Fakir and its founder. At the time, François Ruffin was filming Thanks Boss!a satirical film about the world leader in luxury (awarded the César for best documentary, in 2017). Offenses that criminal law qualifies as“breach of trust”d’“illegal exercise of regulated professions”of “ violation of professional secrecy »of “influence peddling”of “forgery in public writing”of “compromise of national defense secrecy” and of “embezzlement of public funds”.
Throughout the hearing, the LVMH boss had little remorse in throwing his employees out to pasture. Like when the president reported these words: “Your secretary declares to Mr. Squarcini in the wiretaps: “Bernard Arnault is very stressed by what Mr. Ruffin and Fakir. He is very stressed on a daily basis…” Testimony to which the principal concerned responds: “No, I rarely get stressed. But my secretary was very much so. » When the president asked him if he was not angry at not having been informed, assuming that had been the case, he replied: “Mr. President, when this case is over, I will show you my office, with the files of the 75 cases that I manage at the same time. So, when I am told that a file will be completely taken care of for me, it is a great relief. »
“This crazy guy with a t-shirt bearing my image”
The filming of the film greatly worried the group – and its director – because François Ruffin was planning to disrupt the multinational's general meetings. Intervention that the MP carried out well, wearing his famous “I love Bernard” T-shirt. “When I saw this crazy person, with a t-shirt bearing my image, speaking at the LVMH AGM, I was not very worried, but concerned about the good conduct of our General Assembly”retorted Bernard Arnault, questioned about his position regarding the sequence.
“I have good relations with the economic presseven dared Bernard Arnault – moreover, new owner of the weekly Paris Match. I have great respect for freedom of the press. » The billionaire, however, found himself at the center of a lively controversy, when internal LVMH emails were revealed by the investigative site, La Lettre, last September.
One email in particular attracted attention: Bernard Arnault informed sixteen executives of the luxury group – including his daughter Delphine Arnault, CEO of Christian Dior Couture, Chantal Gaemperle, HR director of LVMH, Jean-Jacques Guiony, financial director of the group, or even Pietro Beccari, CEO of Louis Vuitton – to ignore interview requests from a list of pre-established media. There we found Mediapart, the Chained Duckl'Informé, Puck, Miss Tweed, Glitz Paris, but also the Letter. The trial is due to end this Friday, November 29, after hearing the pleadings of the civil parties, the submissions of the public prosecutor and the pleadings of the defense.
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