Ex-French Intelligence Chief Sentenced for Influence-Peddling Linked to LVMH

Bernard Squarcini received a four-year sentence, with two years under house arrest, for exploiting security contacts to benefit the luxury conglomerate.

Bernard Squarcini, former head of France's domestic intelligence agency, was sentenced to four years, including two under house arrest, for influence-peddling and misuse of security contacts.
The charges stem from Squarcini's private intelligence work, which included obtaining confidential information for LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
Squarcini was fined 200,000 euros and banned from intelligence-related professional activities for five years; he plans to appeal the ruling.
LVMH was not directly targeted in the trial, though it previously settled related allegations in 2021 by paying 10 million euros without admitting wrongdoing.
The case included claims of surveillance on journalist-turned-lawmaker François Ruffin and others, allegedly at LVMH's request during Squarcini's consultancy work.