Areva Anne Lauvergeon heard by judges – Le Point

The iconic former boss of Areva, Anne Lauvergeon, was before the court on Friday. She was heard by judges of the pole instruction of Paris in one of the investigations into the shadow areas around the Uramin buyback in 2007. It was an operation that proved disastrous for the French giant nuclear, said a source close to the case.

Getting review or assisted witness?

the iconic group of former owner, who had to leave in 2011 after ten years at the helm, was convened Friday morning for an indictment, but it can out of the hearing in the intermediate status of assisted witness, said several sources close to the investigation. His lawyer, Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi, arrived Friday morning pole and made no statement.

1.5 billion euro loss

Two criminal investigations are ongoing, one on the purchase at full price of the Canadian mining company Uramin, who aspired to exploit three uranium deposits in Namibia, South Africa and Central Africa, the other on the presentation of the accounts Areva in 2010 and 2011, previous years are covered by the prescription. It is in this second investigation, opened for presentation of inaccurate accounts, dissemination of false or misleading information, forgery and abuse of power, what Anne Lauvergeon heard Friday.

In the first survey, the husband Olivier Fric, suspected of having speculated on the title of Uramin at redemption by taking advantage of inside information and of having fired nearly 300 000 euros of profit, was indicted for insider trading March 23. At night, the entrance to the consulting firm of Anne Lauvergeon was fractured, as the premises of two law firms, located in the same building in Paris (8th arrondissement), a judicial source confirmed the information from Point.fr.

elements hidden

Specifically, the investigating magistrates want to establish if it has lobbied to minimize provisions for impairment of assets in the accounts group to delay the discovery of the collapse in the value of Uramin. In late 2011, after the departure of Anne Lauvergeon, Areva had finally announce heavy losses and a provision of € 1.5 billion on the value of Uramin.

In his denunciation to justice in 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”, fell within the financial magistrates, according to elements of this report. “The accounts were arrested on 27 July 2011 by the new board (after his departure, Ed). They contain no new impairment of assets,” Anne Lauvergeon defended herself in an interview with Paris March 30.

6000 posts deleted

Among 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 remove 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. Investigators are questioning particularly on the central role of a Belgian financier, Daniel Wouters, recruited in 2006 by Areva, and possible links to a company he headed, Swala, with shareholders of Uramin at his redemption. Its proximity Olivier Fric is also being studied as part of the investigation. French court sent a request for legal assistance in Canada to try to trace some of the money swallowed up by the purchase of Uramin and whether they could lead to the payment of bribes wine.