The Paris judicial court on Friday validated an agreement reached with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which will pay 10 million euros to settle claims that Bernard Squarcini, a former head of internal intelligence for France-turned-consultant, spied for the company.
This included allegations by filmmaker and journalist François Ruffin that he was subject to surveillance by Squarcini at LVMH’s request during the filming of “Merci Patron” (or “Thanks Boss,” in English). That “Roger & Me”-style documentary chronicled the struggles of a couple that loses their jobs at a Kenzo suit factory when production is moved to Eastern Europe. In it, Ruffin takes LVMH chief Bernard Arnault to task for their plight. The film won the César award for best documentary in 2017.
Squarcini, who founded his own intelligence firm in 2013, remains under investigation for other alleged crimes.
