Overview

• The prosecutor asked the 11e chambre at the Paris tribunal correctionnel to impose one-year suspended sentences and fines on Michel Gaillard, Nicolas Brimo, André Escaro and Édith Vandendaele.
• Journalist Christophe Nobili’s May 2022 complaint triggered the proceedings by alleging Vandendaele held a non-productive position from 1996 through 2022.
• Financial investigators assessed the prejudice at nearly €1.5 million for the 2010–2022 period, with earlier years excluded by the statute of limitations.
• Defense counsel argued Vandendaele contributed intangible editorial value as an “idea generator” and provided moral support to the newsroom.
• The trial has intensified existing divisions within the cooperative-run weekly as the court prepares to deliberate its verdict.