Bernard Squarcini was found guilty of organizing a bizarre illegal surveillance operation on a gadfly journalist at the request of the luxury company, among other offenses.

Bernard Squarcini, the former head of France's domestic intelligence services, was convicted on March 7, 2025, for using public resources to assist LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) in a series of illegal activities, including surveillance on a French journalist.

A Paris court found the former head of France's domestic security services, Bernard Squarcini, guilty on Friday of using public resources to benefit LVMH, in a trial that shed light on efforts by the world's biggest luxury group to protect its reputation.

France’s former top intelligence official, Bernard Squarcini, was found guilty of illegally taking advantage of his networks to serve private interests, including those of luxury giant LVMH’s head Bernard Arnault.

The former chief of France’s internal spy agency has been convicted of using public resources and his position of power to serve the private interests of Europe’s richest man, Bernard Arnault, the LVMH chief executive.

A Paris court on Friday sentenced the former head of France's domestic intelligence agency to four years in prison, two of them suspended, on charges of using his security contacts for private gain including by obtaining confidential information for luxury giant LVMH.