The old iconic boss of Areva was set Friday exam in one of the investigations on the redemption of Uramin in 2007.
The one that ‘nicknamed “Atomic Anne”, which led the group from 2001 to 2011, was indicted for presentation and publication of inaccurate accounts and spreading false information.
Anne Lauvergeon has instead been placed under less unfavorable status of assisted witness to the crime of abuse of authority.
Two judicial inquiries have been opened since 2014, one on the disastrous takeover of Canadian mining company Uramin, who aspired to exploit three deposits uranium in Namibia, South Africa and Central Africa, the other on the presentation of the Areva group accounts in 2010 and 2011, previous years are covered by the prescription.
Did she want to hide
failures?
in this second survey that was heard Anne Lauvergeon. “She was indicted for offenses purely formal. There is no suspicion of dishonesty against it “, said his lawyer, Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi.
In the first survey, the husband of Anne Lauvergeon, Olivier Fric suspected have speculated as Uramin at redemption by taking advantage of inside information and of having drawn nearly 300,000 euros of profit, was indicted for insider trading on 23 March.
Specifically, the investigating magistrates want to establish if Anne Lauvergeon lobbied to minimize provisions for impairment of assets in the accounts of the group, in order to delay the discovery of the collapse in the value of Uramin and hide this failure while trying to keep the head of the group.
to his lawyer, his placement as an assisted witness status for abuse of power shows otherwise.
in late 2011, after the departure of its patron, amid poor relations with the head of state of the time Nicolas Sarkozy, Areva had finally announce heavy losses and a provision of € 1.5 billion on the value of Uramin.
in its denunciation to justice, early 2014, the Court of Auditors estimated that items had been hidden in the supervisory board and the supervisory authorities representing the State, the main shareholder of Areva. “These maneuvers contrary to the interests of Areva and has generated considerable losses for the group, were intended to allow Anne Lauvergeon of trying to stay ahead of the group” jurisdiction the financial magistrates, as elements of the report.
“the accounts were arrested on 27 July 2011 by the new board (after his departure, note). They do not include any new Impairment “, has defended Anne Lauvergeon.
Investigators query in particular the central role of a Belgian financier, Daniel Wouters, recruited 2006 by Areva, and possible links to a company he headed, Swala, with shareholders of Uramin at the time of redemption. Its proximity Olivier Fric is also being studied as part of the investigation.
The French Justice sent a request for legal assistance in Canada to try to trace some of the money swallowed up by the purchase of Uramin and determine they could result in the payment of bribes wine.
more & gt; Between the losses Uramin, the Fukushima disaster and other challenges such as the construction of an EPR in Finland, Areva ended up in the red in 2015 for the fifth consecutive year. The group will benefit from a massive bailout of EUR 5 billion of the French State, but it will cut 6,000 jobs worldwide, including 3,000 to 4,000 in France. Anne Lauvergeon also highlighted the Fukushima disaster, which occurred in March 2011, and its impact on the price of uranium, to explain the collapse of Uramin. But for many geologists and Areva executives heard in the investigation, the operation aroused many concerns, especially because of the difficulties to operate the sites.
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