Is it an "attempt to intimidate" as suspected by one of the people concerned?

Three French journalists are suspected of breaching national defense secrets for an investigation broadcast in 2018 on France Inter, and on the Internet, which relates to suspicions of influence peddling in the French army.

Thus, Benoît Collombat and Geoffrey Livolsi, authors of the investigation "Air transport: suspicions of influence peddling in the army", are summoned by the DGSI in open hearing Wednesday, December 14 in the company of Jacques Monin, director of investigations and of the Radio France investigation, AFP learned on Wednesday from sources familiar with the matter.

According to one of these sources, the three journalists are summoned next Wednesday at 10 a.m. because they are "suspected of having committed or attempted to commit the offense of revealing or disclosing information allowing the identification of a member of 'a special forces unit'.

According to another of these sources, the summons comes within the framework of a judicial investigation opened after a complaint with a civil action filed by a former member of the special forces whose name was mentioned in their article.

"Attempt to intimidate"

Their investigation revealed that “the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) is investigating suspicions of favoritism and influence peddling within the French army.

At the heart of his investigations: the air transport subcontracting contracts ”, which would have given rise to a search at the general staff of the armies.

She mentioned in particular the name of an official of the Special Operations Command (COS) presented as being "in the crosshairs of justice", without it being known at this stage whether this lieutenant-colonel is indeed the complainant.



Asked to find out if the main investigation was still in progress, the PNF did not respond on Wednesday morning.

Contacted on the summons targeting its journalists, Radio France also did not respond immediately.

Reached by AFP, journalist Geoffrey Livolsi said that “these summonses are a new attempt to intimidate journalists investigating the army.

“Is it still possible to investigate this subject without being bothered by the intelligence services?

As a reminder, our media Disclose", which he co-founded in 2018, "has also been the subject of an investigation for a year for violation of national defense secrecy", he recalled.

Benoît Collombat and Jacques Monin did not wish to speak publicly.

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