2023-05-20 17:22:09
The Rennes Court of Appeal confirmed a dismissal order for the benefit of the Rocher Group (Yves Rocher brand), contested by the defense of Alexeï Navalny, who had filed a complaint against the cosmetics firm for “slanderous denunciation”, announced Saturday, May 20 the lawyer of the Russian opponent.
“This decision is totally incomprehensible, an appeal is seriously considered”reacted to Agence France-Presse (AFP) Me William Bourdon, who represents Mr. Navalny. In 2019, the brothers Alexeï and Oleg Navalny had filed a complaint in France for “slanderous denunciation”, believing that the Rocher Group had unfairly accused them of fraud.
The case dates back to 2012, when the Russian justice opened an investigation into alleged embezzlement that would have been committed by the Glavpodpiska company, owned by the Navalny brothers, to the detriment of the Russian subsidiary of the French group, Yves Rocher-Vostok. .
No damage suffered by the company
As a result of these investigations, the Rocher Group said it had “discovered several concordant and important clues making the existence of a scam likely”. The Morbihan-based firm then filed a complaint against X to gain access to the file.
The group later admitted to having suffered no harm, but that did not prevent Alexei Navalny, a sworn enemy of Vladimir Putin, from being sentenced in Russia in December 2014 to three and a half years in prison, suspended for embezzlement. to the detriment of the Russian subsidiary of the Rocher Group. His brother, Oleg, had been given the same sentence, but firm.
Alexei Navalny’s reprieve was then revoked, the Russian authorities accusing him of having violated judicial control measures while he was recovering in Germany, after surviving an attempted poisoning. Alexei Navalny was arrested in January 2021, upon his return from Berlin.
At the end of May 2022, Alexei Navalny was also sentenced in Russia to an additional nine years in prison for the alleged embezzlement of donations made to his anti-corruption organizations, accusations which he denies and which he considers politically motivated. .
Asked by AFP, Groupe Rocher said it was waiting to receive the judgment of the Rennes Court of Appeal, probably on Monday, to react officially.
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