Spying of employees at Ikea France: appeals of many convicts

Several people, including former CEO Jean-Louis Ballot, appealed against his conviction during an Ikea France trial for spying on hundreds of employees, we learned from the Versailles prosecutor’s office on Tuesday.

For the first time on 15 June, and at the end of the sometimes heated debate, the furniture giant and Mr Ballot’s French subsidiary were fined one million euros and sentenced to two years in prison and 50,000 euros, respectively.

Jean-Louis Ballot appealed against the decision, which specifically found him guilty of “hiding the collection of personal data through fraud”, primarily for acts committed around the years 2009–2012.

His successor, Stefan Vanoverbeke (2010–2015), was released at the request of the prosecutor, noting that there was no “material element” to convict him.

Others also appealed, including the then administrative and financial director, Darius Richert, as well as former deputy director Sylvie Weber, both of whom were sentenced to a one-year suspended prison sentence and 10,000 euros in prison. Well, continued the wooden floor of Versailles.

Jean-Pierre Fores, who headed the private investigative company, called for obtaining confidential information by a former “Mr. Security” of Ikea France and who was sentenced to two years in prison and a 20,000 euro fine, also upheld the decision. challenged.

A store manager and former director of human resources also appealed against his sentence.

Ikea France appeared in March 2021 with fifteen defendants, former company executives, store managers, police officers – with three sentenced to six months in prison – and the investigation company’s owner private.

The court’s decision had a mixed reaction from some 120 civil parties, including several unions. Some were delighted that these condemnations “show that employers cannot do everything in France”, such as former Force Overrier (FO) representative Adele Amara, others considered them inadequate.

The court also forced Ikea France to pay damages between 1,000 and 10,000 euros for the damages.

In this massive case qualified as espionage by the press and then investigated since 2012, the criminal records, lifestyles or heritage of certain employees through the company “in business consulting” on Ikea France and the managers of the time. He was accused of illegally interrogating about , which may have pulled this confidential data in police files.

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