PARIS — Bernard Arnault, the billionaire head of French luxury goods giant LVMH, denied any role in an alleged espionage scheme targeting left-wing French parliamentarian and potential presidential candidate François Ruffin in court on Thursday.
Making his way to the bar in a packed courthouse, Arnault stated that he was “completely unaware” of any scheme to spy on Ruffin.
The soft-spoken 75-year-old appeared uneasy and nervous, evasively responding to questions.
Ruffin, 49, a former journalist and filmmaker, gained national recognition in 2016 with his documentary “Merci Patron!” (Thanks, Boss!). The satirical film, which won the French equivalent of an Oscar, humorously follows two former employees of an Arnault-owned factory who lost their jobs after production was offshored to Poland. Ruffin was elected to the lower house of the French legislature, the National Assembly, on the heels of the movie’s success.
Arnault has found himself in court after being called to the witness stand during the trial of Bernard Squarcini, the former head of the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) — France’s domestic security agency, similar to the FBI in the United States or MI5 in the United Kingdom.
Prosecutors allege that Squarcini illegally spied on domestic targets on behalf of LVMH — including Ruffin — both during his tenure during his tenure at the DGSI, which lasted from 2008 to 2012, and afterward as the head of his own private intelligence firm.
Squarcini denies any wrongdoing.
In 2013, LVMH allegedly hired Squarcini to infiltrate Fakir, a satirical quarterly run by Ruffin, during the production of “Merci Patron!” The operation lasted three years and cost the publicly traded group over €2 million, prosecutors claimed.
The trial, which began earlier this month, seeks to establish if state resources were used to pursue the private interests of LVMH. Ruffin, who is a party to the case, requested that Arnault be called to testify as a witness.
While on the stand, Arnault accused Ruffin of dragging him into court to score political points and promote his latest film, “Au boulot !” (Time to Work!)
“I think [Ruffin] is trying to exploit this trial for personal, media, political and even commercial reasons,” Arnault said.
The LVMH chief said that he actually enjoyed “Merci Patron!” despite its critical look at his company.
Arnault himself is not on trial. He has consistently denied knowledge of his company’s alleged spying activities, attributing them to former LVMH Vice President Pierre Godé, who passed away in 2018. Investigators interviewed Arnault in 2019 in relation to the case, but no charges were brought against him.
In 2021, a judge approved a settlement between LVMH and the Paris prosecutor’s office that closed the criminal investigation and saw the company pay a €10 million fine.
Arnault stressed in court on Thursday that the settlement did not include a recognition of guilt and was reached to avoid protracted legal proceedings.
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