Press Review - Week of 2 March 2026

Press Review – Week of 2 March 2026

This week’s press review covers the conclusion of a Judicial Public Interest Agreement (CJIP) between the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office and the company Périphériques Matériels de contrôle in a case involving bribery of a foreign public official and money laundering; the significant increase in fraud affecting the European Union’s financial interests as reported by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office; the decision of the anti-corruption association Anticor to join as a civil party in the judicial investigation relating to the sale of Alstom’s energy branch to General Electric; as well as the recent developments affecting intra-EU investment arbitration following the Achmea and Komstroy judgments.

#White collar crime

Foreign public official bribery and money laundering case resolved through a €500,000 CJIP

On 10 February 2026, the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) entered into a Judicial Public Interest Agreement (Convention judiciaire d’intérêt public – CJIP) with the company Périphériques Matériels de contrôle for an amount of 499,150 euros, to bring an end to proceedings for a foreign public official corruption and money laundering. The investigation was initiated following a report by Tracfin in 2015 concerning payments made between 2008 and 2011 to the head of PMU Mali. As this individual was considered a foreign public official, the payments were classified as undue advantages intended to secure the award of commercial contracts. The French company was also accused of laundering the proceeds of this offence. Under the agreement, the company further undertakes to implement a three-year anti-corruption compliance programme under the supervision of the French Anti-Corruption Agency. >Read the article.

Fraud committed to the detriment of the EU has reached an unprecedented level

On 2 March 2026, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) revealed that fraud affecting the financial interests of the European Union (EU) has reached a record level. Ongoing investigations estimate the total damage at around €67.27 billion in 2025, nearly three times the amount recorded the previous year. This increase is explained both by the higher the number of investigations, 3,602 cases opened in 2025, and by the evolution of fraudulent schemes. Fraud affecting EU revenues, particularly Value Added Tax (VAT) and customs duties, now represents the largest share of the losses. These offences are often committed by organised criminal networks operating at the international level. >Read the article.

Anticor wants to reopen the case concerning the sale of Alstom’s energy division to General Electric

The anti-corruption association Anticor has announced that it has joined the proceedings as a civil party in the context of the judicial investigation opened by the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) concerning the 2014 sale of Alstom’s energy branch to General Electric. This investigation was launched in 2022 for acts that may be classified as corruption and abuse of authority by a person entrusted with public authority. The investigations aim to clarify the conditions under which the government authorised the transaction and the role played by Emmanuel Macron, who was Minister of the Economy at the time. Anticor intends to contribute actively to the course of the investigation and to ensure that the investigations are conducted in an independent, transparent, and thorough manner. The association had already taken part in a previous stage of the Alstom case, which led the U.S. Department of justice to fine the group of 772 million dollars in December 2014 for a bribery scheme, as part of a plea agreement procedure. > Read the article.

#Arbitration and Mediation

2025 in Review: What Future for Intra-EU Investment Arbitration?

The year 2025 was marked by mixed developments concerning intra-European Union investment arbitration. Several European decisions confirmed the progressive dismantling of this mechanism following the Achmea and Komstroy judgments. The German Constitutional Court held that the annulment of an intra-EU arbitral award did not infringe investors’ fundamental rights, as they remain protected under EU law and European fundamental-rights instruments. The Amsterdam Court of Appeal, for its part, ordered the termination of an arbitration proceeding brought under an intra-EU bilateral investment treaty, considering that the arbitration clauses had become inapplicable. The Swedish Supreme Court clarified the conditions under which partial annulment may be granted for awards rendered in “mixed” arbitrations involving both EU and non‑EU investors. While U.S. courts continue to recognize and enforce certain intra-EU awards, the position of EU institutions and courts remains generally unfavorable such recourse. > Read the article.