Press review
9 June 2023

Press review – Week of 5 June 2023

This week's press review details the suspicions of favoritism hanging over Olivier Dussopt, Minister of Labor, Employment and Integration, and those of price manipulation concerning Casino's current Chairman and CEO, Jean-Charles Naouri. News in criminal law concerns the dismantling of an international drug trafficking network at Roissy, and the publication of a report from the NGO SOS Villages d’enfants regarding the concealment of internal sexual assault and bribery cases. In the field of data protection, the CNIL recently issued an opinion on the proposed merger of the “carte Vitale” and identity cards, while the US justice system dismissed an action against the Meta company on privacy grounds. Finally, an American lawyer used non-existent jurisprudence in one of his cases, invented by the ChatGPT artificial intelligence tool.

 

Olivier Dussopt, accused of favoritism, goes on trial in November

Olivier Dussopt, the current Minister of Labor, Employment and Integration, is currently being prosecuted for favoritism. In 2009, he is accused of having favored the Société d’aménagement urbain et rural (SAUR), a company specializing in water distribution and treatment, when awarding public contracts. The investigation, launched by the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office, initially focused on corruption and illegal interest-taking.  Olivier Dussopt, who held the position of mayor at the time of the events, is liable to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 euros. > Read article

 

Jean-Charles Naouri, CEO of Casino, no longer in custody as part of an investigation into stock price manipulation

As part of a preliminary investigation opened in 2020 following a report from the Autorité des marchés financiers, Casino Group CEO Jean-Charles Naouri was taken into custody on 1 June. He is suspected of having committed, in 2018 and 2019, the offenses of “organized price manipulation, active and passive private corruption” and “insider trading”. His custody was lifted the same evening. The investigation is focusing on his and Casino Group’s links with press manager Nicolas Miguet, who has been convicted on several occasions by the Autorité des marchés financiers, notably for price manipulation. > Read article

 

From the Caribbean to the Paris region via Roissy: the scheme of the cocaine trafficking brothers and the dirty customs officer

Three brothers are suspected of having bribed a customs officer at Roissy airport to smuggle drugs from Latin America. In all, 11 suspects have been indicted for international drug trafficking, involving at least 14 suitcases each containing at least 20 to 30 kg of cocaine – with a street value of 6 million euros. The scheme involved a trafficker managing the arrival of the suitcases from South America, and couriers sent to pick them up under the surveillance of a customs official, in order to avoid controls. The trafficking was revealed through intercepted conversations between traffickers.> Read article

 

Cases of sexual violence against children hidden for forty years by SOS Children’s Villages

According to a report published by the new management of the NGO SOS Villages d’Enfants, since the 1980s the organization has concealed numerous acts of sexual violence against minors and corruption. The report was commissioned by the new CEO in 2021, and denounces child pregnancies following rape, as well as forced abortions. These incidents are said to have occurred in several countries, and whistleblowers are said to have been intimidated into silence.> Read article

 

Lawyer cites fake cases generated by ChatGPT in legal brief

In a dispute between a Colombian airline and one of its passengers, a New York lawyer cited false court rulings generated by ChatGPT in a federal court filing. He faces disciplinary action. This high-profile incident is a reminder of the need for lawyers to verify legal information generated by artificial intelligence-powered tools.> Read article

 

Merger of the carte Vitale and the identification card: CNIL points out data protection concerns

Although the project has been on the drawing board since 2019, the French Minister for Public Accounts has just announced plans to merge the national identity card and the “carte Vitale”. The aim of this measure is to combat social fraud in the provision of healthcare. The CNIL reiterated the need to respect data protection principles when implementing this project. It also considered that integrating the social security number into the electronic identity card was the least risky and least intrusive scenario, while insisting that it was essential to ensure that “the use of the identity card instead of the “carte Vitale” actually reduces cases of social fraud”. Nevertheless, it opposed the creation of a biometric “carte Vitale” on the grounds of “the sensitivity of the data involved and the significant risks to individuals in the event of a computer attack”.> Read article

 

Judge dismisses Washington DC privacy lawsuit against Facebook owner Meta

The action brought in 2018 against Meta Platforms Inc, owner of the social network Facebook, for brach of privacy due to a violation of the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Act, has been dismissed by a US federal court. The court found that the company had not misled consumers during the Cambridge Analytica scandal. At the time, the company had been the target of worldwide criticism after revealing that a personality quiz offered on Facebook by a third-party company had collected information on 87 million users, which it then sold to the British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. In rejecting the appeal, the judges relied on Facebook’s data collection and processing policy. The policy warned users that their personal data could be collected and used by third parties, and gave advice on how to limit the sharing of such data.> Read article

Related content

Press review
Press review
22 September 2023
Press review – Week of 18 September 2023
This week, the Navacelle press review looks back at the adoption of the eighth version of the European Administrative Cooperation...
Press review
press review
15 September 2023
Press review – Week of 11 September 2023
This week, the Navacelle press review looks back at the decision of a Brazilian Supreme Court judge to overturn the...
Press review
Press review
8 September 2023
Press review – Week of 4 September 2023
This week, the Navacelle press review discusses the guide published by the European Commission for EU operators on the best...
News
Bastille day newsletter 2023
14 July 2023
Bastille Day Newsletter 2023
On this 14th of July, lawyers at Navacelle offer you, as it does every year, a selection of noticeable events...
Publication
Judicial public interest agreements (CJIP)
13 July 2023
[Infography] Focus on Judicial public interest agreements (CJIP)
Since its creation by the Sapin II law of 9 December 2016, the Judicial Public Interest Agreement (“Convention Judiciaire d’Intérêt...
Analysis
13 July 2023
The French Supreme Court confirms in its decision “La Chaufferie de La Défense” that the...
In a decision dated 9 November 2022, the criminal chamber of the French Supreme Court confirmed its case law on...
Analysis
13 July 2023
Clarification of the ne bis in idem principle under European Union law with regard to...
On 22 March 2023, the criminal division of the French Court of Cassation has issued a ruling by which it...
Analysis
13 July 2023
Review of the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office activity
The French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (“Parquet National Financier”) published its annual report of its activities for 2022, in which...
Press review
press review
7 July 2023
Press review – Week of 2 July 2023
The press review highlights the 209 million euros fine imposed on TechnipFMC, for acts of corruption in Africa in exchange...
Press review
Press review
30 June 2023
Press review – Week of 26 June 2023
This week's press review presents the decision by the Cour de cassation to initiate a review of the trial of...
Press review
Press review
23 June 2023
Press review – Week of 19 June 2023
This week's press review looks at the European Union's accession to the Istanbul Convention on combating domestic violence and violence...
Press review
press review
16 June 2023
Press review – Week of 12 June 2023
This week's press review covers a new proposed legislation that would allow law enforcement officers to activate at distance microphones...