Justice auctions off 300 seized or confiscated items

More than 300 lots of objects seized or confiscated in criminal proceedings were auctioned on Friday in Bercy.

“We’ll kick the criminals in the wallet“, the Keeper of Seals Eric Dupond-Moretti launched on Thursday, November 4, presenting more than 300 lots of valuables seized or confiscated by justice, put up for auction this Friday, from diamonds to luxury cars. Going up for a moment in a seized Lamborghini, parked in front of Bercy, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire for his part told the press: “If someone has 150,000 euros, that’s the initial bet, but I hope it brings us more“.

Luxury cars, prestigious wines, watches from master watchmakers, shoes, designer bags… The 310 lots of objects seized or confiscated in the context of criminal proceedings were presented at auction this Friday November 5 in Bercy on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Agency for the Management and Recovery of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AGRASC) placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice.

During a press conference at the Ministry of Economy, Eric Dupond-Moretti expressed the hope that “decadence“of goods is extensive and not limited”the fight against economic and financial crime or organized crime“.”This pecuniary sanction (…) must also become an instrument in the fight against daily delinquency to ensure that the crime no longer pays, that the crime no longer pays. In other words, we’ll kick criminals in the wallet“, insisted Eric Dupond-Moretti.

“I find it really great that offenders are penalized financially. i really like it“, confides a private individual who came to assist with the sale.

“Virtuous Circle”

The 310 lots presented during this auction are notably the result of confiscations related to money laundering or drug trafficking, according to the National Directorate of State Interventions (DNID), co-organizer of the sale. “By seizing their criminal assets, you take away their interest in committing criminal acts. For example, luxury watches are a vector for money laundering“, specifies the director general of AGRASC Nicolas Bessone.

“It’s a virtuous circle“, commented the Keeper of Seals in front of a diamond exhibited in a display case, the proceeds of the sale of which will partially compensate a victim. Eric Dupond-Moretti also welcomed a “paradigm shift“with the signing of a decree that entered into force on Thursday and”which will allow AGRASC to redistribute the property (confiscated properties) to public benefit associations (as) charities.“The sum obtained from the sale of these goods, from 30 euros (a bicycle) to 150,000 (the Lamborghini), will be paid”to the state budget or also to support funds, for example for the fight against drug addiction or for the fight against the exploitation of prostitution“explained Nicolas Bessone.

DNID director Alain Coumeil says that “nearly a thousand people“came to the cinema this friday and”8500 registeredonline to participate in these auctions.

AGRASC has sold €1.5 billion of seized and confiscated assets since its creation in 2011. In March 2021, it opened branches in Marseille and Lyon, which have since made it possible to pour €28 million into the general state budget. “In light of these results“, next spring will have two new branches in Lille and Rennes, announced the Keeper of Seals.