Versailles (AFP)
The company Ikea France and several natural persons, including former managers of the company, accused of having set up a vast system of espionage of employees and customers, were sent to correctional, said Thursday the parquet floor of Versailles , confirming information from the World.
In addition to the Swedish furniture giant, 15 people, including two former managers of Ikea France, Stefan Vanoverbeke and Jean-Louis Baillot, and several police officers, are referred to the Versailles court for illegal collection and disclosure of personal data, especially during the period 2009-2012.
The case broke out in early 2012 with revelations of the Canard Enchaîné. According to the weekly, the company's management has set up a structured system for monitoring certain employees, especially those with union activity deemed embarrassing, as well as customers in litigation with the company.
Objective: collect as much information as possible about their criminal record or the state of their bank account.
To do this, the company would have signed a "contract" with police officers who have access to the "STIC", a vast police file listing the perpetrators and victims of crimes, so that they can transmit confidential data to them for remuneration.
Ikea had announced in the wake of a series of ethical measures to restore the coat of arms of the company and learn from the lessons of this scandal.
The company has 34 stores and 10,000 employees in France.
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