Ex-Security Chief Sentenced for Misuse of Resources to Aid LVMH

Bernard Squarcini, former head of France's domestic security, was found guilty of using public resources to benefit LVMH. He received a two-year sentence at home and fined 200,000 euros. This case highlights unauthorized surveillance activities linked to LVMH and its efforts to protect its reputation.

In a trial closely watched by the luxury industry, Bernard Squarcini, the ex-chief of France's domestic security, was convicted on Friday for misusing public resources to support LVMH. The court sentenced him to two years of house arrest, monitored electronically, and imposed a fine of 200,000 euros.

The charges primarily involved Squarcini's actions in 2008, when he allegedly used state resources to track down individuals threatening LVMH's chairman, Bernard Arnault, through extortion attempts. Squarcini, who later joined LVMH as a security consultant, had defended his actions as safeguarding French economic interests.

Beyond the extortion case, Squarcini was also implicated in the illegal surveillance of French lawmaker Francois Ruffin and his publication, Fakir, as they planned a protest against LVMH in 2013. Although LVMH settled a probe into its spying involvement in 2021, it denied any wrongdoing and declined to comment on the recent verdict.