The old iconic boss of Areva, Anne Lauvergeon, was indicted Friday, May 13 by the investigating judges in an investigation of gray areas surrounding the purchase of Uramin in 2007, an operation that proved disastrous for the French nuclear giant.
the one nicknamed “Atomic Anne”, who led the group from 2001 to 2011, was indicted for presentation and publication of inaccurate accounts and spreading false information, a judicial source said after the hearing that lasted all day. Anne Lauvergeon has instead been placed under the least unfavorable status of assisted witness for the offense of abuse of power.
Two judicial inquiries have been opened since 2014, one on the disastrous takeover of the mining company Canadian Uramin, who aspired to exploit three uranium deposits 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.
in this second survey that was heard Anne Lauvergeon. “She was indicted for offenses purely formal. There is no suspicion of dishonesty against it,” he told AFP his lawyer, Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi.
the first survey, the husband of Anne Lauvergeon, Olivier Fric, suspected of having speculated on the title of Uramin at redemption by taking advantage of inside information and of having drawn nearly 300,000 euros of profit has was indicted for insider trading on 23 March.
“considerable losses”
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 stay ahead of the group. To his lawyer, his investment in the assisted witness status for abuse of power shows the opposite.
In late 2011, after the departure of his boss, amid poor relations with the Head of State then Nicolas Sarkozy, Areva had finally announce heavy losses and a provision of € 1.5 billion on the value of Uramin.
in his 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”, fell within the financial magistrates, according to elements of this report which AFP has learned.
“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.
solid Bailout
Among the losses Uramin, disaster Fukushima 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 has also before 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 including the role central a Belgian financier, Daniel Wouters, recruited in 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 by the redemption of Uramin and whether they could lead to the payment of bribes wine.
(with AFP)
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