French businessman Arnaud Lagardère, CEO of the group of the same name, was charged in Paris on Monday. He has been charged with spreading false or misleading information, vote buying, misuse of company resources and abuse of power and failure to submit bills.
A judicial source reported this to the AFP news agency.
Lagardère, husband of Belgian model Jade Foret, who is 30 years his junior, is suspected of having looted the accounts of his companies for years to finance his lifestyle and personal expenses.
The businessman is now under judicial control, with a management ban and the obligation to pay a bond of 200,000 euros, the judicial source said. The facts are said to have occurred from April 2009 to December 2022. He was interrogated all day in Paris on Monday.
When Arnaud Lagardère, only son, took over the management of the business empire after the death of his father Jean-Luc in 2003, he gradually withdrew from military activities and transport, concentrating on media, publishing and entertainment. Billionaire Vincent Bolloré acquired control of Lagardère with his media giant Vivendi in 2022. Lagardère is still at the helm of the group.
One of Lagardère’s sons from his first marriage is with Cassandra Foret, Jade Foret’s younger sister.
