Press review – Week of 22 May 2023

This week, the Parquet national financier (PNF - National Financial Prosecutor's Office) signed its 16th and 17th Convention Judiciaire d'Intérêt Public (CJIP - Public Interest Judicial Agreement) and the Comorian Minister of Foreign Affairs is suspected of having improperly benefited from social benefits in La Réunion island. Finally, in the field of personal data protection, Meta was fined a record €1.2 billion by the Irish Data Protection Commission.

Remote activation of mobile phones foreseen in the draft bill on the orientation and programming of justice raises questions

On 23 May, the French Minister of Justice presented his draft bill on the orientation and programming of justice to the Senate’s law commission. Article 3 of the draft bill contains provisions criticized by the Paris Bar Council regarding the remote activation of connected devices for the purposes of geolocation and recording of sounds and images in the event of proceedings for terrorism or organized crime. The French Ministry of Justice indicates that activation and recording should not be confused, as they do not have the same purpose. Besides, the draft bill also sets out the main objectives of the action plan for justice presented on 5 January. > Read article

**Comorian Minister of Foreign Affairs suspected of €251,000 social benefits fraud in La Réunion island**

Dhoihir Dhoulkamal, Comorian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and his wife have been under preliminary investigation since November 2020 by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Saint Denis de la Réunion for social benefits fraud. The Minister allegedly concealed his income to allow his wife to receive the Revenu de Solidarité Active (RSA – Active Solidarity Income) and other benefits. He also benefits from the Couverture Maladie Universelle (CMU – Universal Health Protection) on La Réunion island. These revelations occurred within the context of negotiations for the restoration of maritime connections between France and Comoros, which was accepted by the Comorian President on 17 May. > Read article

Personal data: Meta fined a record €1.2 billion in Europe

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined Meta €1.2 billion for transferring personal data of European Facebook users to servers located in the United States. The company plans to appeal, describing the fine as “unjustified and unnecessary“. This sanction comes as the European Union and the United States finally reached an agreement on data transfer in March 2022. However, the legal framework has not yet been adopted. This fine sends a strong signal to other organisations involved in this type of practice. > Read article

Press release from the Parquet National Financier (PNF – National Financial Prosecutor’s Office) regarding its 16th Convention Judiciaire d’Intérêt Public (CJIP – Public Interest Judicial Agreement)

The president of the tribunal judiciaire de Paris (Paris judicial court) validated the 16th CJIP concluded between the PNF and the company Guy Dauphin Environnement for influence peddling. This CJIP follows a preliminary investigation entrusted to the office central de lutte contre la corruption et les infractions financières et fiscales (OCLCIFF – central office for the fight against corruption and financial and tax offences). The company will also be required to implement a compliance program for three years under the supervision of the Agence française anticorruption (AFA – French Anti-Corruption Agency). > Read article

Press release from the Parquet National Financier (PNF – National Financial Prosecutor’s Office) regarding its 17th Convention Judiciaire d’Intérêt Public (CJIP – Public Interest Judicial Agreement)

The president of the tribunal judiciaire de Paris (Paris judicial court) validated the 17th CJIP concluded between the PNF and two companies, Bouygues Bâtiment Sud-Est and Linkcity Sud-Est for offences including active bribery of public officials and concealment of favouritism. They committed to pay a fine of €7,964,000 to the Trésor public (French Treasury) and to implement a compliance program for three years under the supervision of the Agence française anticorruption (AFA – French Anti-Corruption Agency). > Read article

The French Minister for Public Accounts announces a plan to fight tax fraud

During a senatorial debate, after the publication by the Finance Commission of a report on the fight against tax fraud, Gabriel Attal, Minister in charge of public accounts, had publicly supported in January the measures proposed in the report, which call for a reinforcement of the fight against tax fraud. He recently presented a plan to fight tax fraud. > Read article