This Thursday, November 28, the prosecution requested four years of imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 euros against Bernard Squarcini, former head of internal intelligence. He is suspected of having used his police networks to obtain confidential information and privileges for the benefit of the LVMH group.
It's a multi-faceted affair. This Thursday, November 28, the prosecution requested four years of imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 euros against the former member of internal intelligence, Bernard Squarcini. He is notably accused of having organized a surveillance operation of François Ruffin and the newspaper “Fakir” on behalf of the luxury group LVMH, owned by Bernard Arnault.
Bernard Squarcini is not the only one involved in this affair: nine other men risk sentences ranging from four months to two years in prison, accompanied, depending on the case, by fines of up to €100,000.
5 years professional and public service ban
Bernard Squarcini is a “distinguished senior civil servant, prosecuted before you for extremely serious acts”, declared the prosecutor this Thursday during the trial, according to AFP. The latter, in addition to other requisitions, requested a 5-year professional and public service ban against the former head of the Central Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DCRI, now DGSI) between 2008 and 2012.
The representative of the prosecution also asked that Bernard Squarcini be sanctioned for having sent DCRI agents in 2008 to flush out a man who wanted to blackmail Bernard Arnault. But also for having obtained secret information from police officers, in particular on the Cahuzac affair or on a complaint by Hermès against Vuitton, or even administrative documents, the facilitation of passport and visa procedures, etc.
Finally, the prosecutor added that the contract of 2.2 million euros linking Bernard Squarcini's company, named Kyrnos, and LVMH “was intended to remunerate something other than Bernard Squarcini's skills in terms of intelligence, the “other thing” being influence peddling.
The pleadings of Bernard Squarcini's lawyers will be heard this Friday, November 29.
