Press Review - Week of 24 July 2026

Press Review – Week of 24 July 2026

This week, the press review highlights the Paris administrative court’s decision concerning whistleblower status in the case involving Édouard Philippe, the sanction imposed by the European Commission on AliExpress for breaches of its obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), and on the publication of a brief note on the decision of the AFA’s Sanctions Commission. It also reviews the ratification by Honduras of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) Convention, and the censure of Black Cube following an infiltration operation targeting a lawyer.

#Ethics & Compliance

The AFA’s Sanctions Committee imposes its first financial penalties

The Sanctions Committee of the AFA made use of its enforcement powers for the first time in a decision dated 9 July 2026. Having been directly referred to the Committee for the purpose of imposing sanctions, it found that breaches of the obligations to prevent corruption and to implement internal control mechanisms were to be assessed as of the date of the AFA’s audit. Holding the executive officer personally liable alongside the company, the Committee imposed financial penalties of €60,000 and €350,000, respectively. This decision marks a new milestone in the enforcement of the Sapin II Law and reflects increasing regulatory expectations regarding the effectiveness of corporate anti-corruption compliance programs. > Read the analysis.

#White Collar Crime

Edouard Philippe case: the Paris administrative court upholds the whistleblower status of the complainant

On 15 July 2026, the Paris Administrative Court dismissed the appeal filed by the Le Havre Seine Métropole urban community, chaired by former prime minister Edouard Philippe, which challenged an opinion issued by the French Défenseur des droits (Defender of Rights) recognizing whistleblower status for a former civil servant. She is behind complaints that led to the opening, in May, of a judicial investigation by the French Parquet national financier (Financial Prosecutor’s Office) against Edouard Philippe, for misappropriation of public funds, illegal taking of interest, and favouritism. The court ruled that the Défenseur des droits’ opinion was not subject to judicial review, finding that its disclosure in the press by the complainant herself did not carry the same weight as an official publication issued by the Défenseur des droits, and that it was therefore not liable to have a significant impact on the local authority’s reputation. > Read the article.

#Dispute resolution & regulatory investigations

Commission fines AliExpress €550 million for breaching the Digital Services Act

On 20 July 2026, the European Commission has fined AliExpress €550 million for failing to comply with several key obligations set out in the DSA. The investigation revealed shortcomings in the assessment and mitigation of risks related to the distribution of illegal, dangerous, or counterfeit products, as well as moderation and monitoring mechanisms deemed insufficiently effective. Considering these breaches to be particularly serious given their scale and duration, the European Commission has instructed AliExpress to submit a compliance plan by 20 October 2026. Failure to comply could result in periodic penalty payments. >Read the article.

#Arbitration & Mediation

Honduras ratifies ICSID Convention

Honduras has ratified the ICSID Convention on 17 July 2026, with the treaty set to enter into force one month later, marking the country’s return to the Convention after a two-year withdrawal. The country had denounced the convention in 2024 under the mandate of former President Xiomara Castro, in response to ICSID’s handling of a claim by US investors about a Honduran special economic development zone. The tribunal had rejected the state’s argument that the claim should not have been registered on the ground that the investors had not exhausted local remedies and denied an application to bifurcate proceedings. Current President Nasry Asfura, who took office in January 2026, immediately announced the country’s intent to rejoin the Convention, citing the value of a neutral dispute-resolution framework for investors and states. > Read the article.

Black Cube censured over sting against solicitor

A three-judge bench of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales has ruled that a covert sting operation carried out by intelligence firm Black Cube constituted a serious abuse of process, with potential criminal implications under the Fraud Act 2006 and Bribery Act 2010. The sting arose in the context of a US$415 million fraud claim brought by Ricardo Salinas Pliego against Vladimir Sklarov. During the proceedings, the claimant retained Black Cube, one of whose agents approached the defendant’s solicitor while posing as a prospective client in an unrelated arbitration. The agent thereby induced him to disclose confidential information about his clients’ defence and settlement strategy. The recordings obtained during that meeting were subsequently used by the claimant’s new solicitors, after the previous firm had refused to review them. > Read the article.