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French Raids in Altice Corruption Probe Seize Over €14 Million

Prosecutors describe a shell‑company overbilling scheme that funneled illicit proceeds through French and foreign entities.

Overview

  • The financial prosecutor’s office coordinated simultaneous searches at 15 residences and 14 companies in Île‑de‑France, Corsica, the Var, and the Vosges with about 70 investigators.
  • Authorities seized more than €14 million from bank accounts and collected vehicles and luxury items as evidence.
  • Prosecutors say a network interposed between Altice and certain suppliers enabled overbilling whose proceeds fed money‑laundering mechanisms.
  • According to a source close to the case, the searches targeted individuals named in complaints filed by Altice and SFR in spring 2024, while the group and its subsidiaries were not searched.
  • The French probe, led by OCLCIFF within the national judicial police with Eurojust and Portuguese support, proceeds alongside a Swiss civil dispute in which Armando Pereira contests the allegations and seeks at least €1.4 billion from Patrick Drahi.