Ugo Bernalicis (LFI) takes legal action over the Kerviel affair

Paris, July 8, 2020. Jérôme Kerviel during his hearing before the Committee of the National Assembly.

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• Jérôme Kerviel was definitively sentenced to three years in prison for causing a loss of 4.9 billion euros to Société Générale in 2008.

• In 2016, a clandestine recording in which a magistrate from the financial center assured that the investigation had been "manipulated" by the bank sowed confusion.

• In 2018, the former trader failed to get a review lawsuit.

Almost thirteen years after the events, will the case between Jérôme Kerviel and Société Générale bounce back again?

The deputy (LFI) Ugo Bernalicis announced on Thursday that he had reported to the Paris public prosecutor facts of "influence peddling" and "organized gang fraud" which, according to him, tainted the judicial investigation into the actions of the trader carried out in 2008 by the financial center of the Paris prosecutor's office.

The initiative of the Insoumis deputy owes nothing to chance.

Chairman of the National Assembly's commission of inquiry on the obstacles to the independence of the judiciary, he invited, on July 8, the former trader to come and share his problems with the law before the national representation .

“What I have left as a feeling is a feeling of injustice.

I was able to observe many dysfunctions in the judicial system, had notably told Jérôme Kerviel on this occasion.

From the start, I had the feeling that whatever I did, the dice were loaded and everything was decided in advance… ”

Ugo Bernalicis: "LIVE - Hearing of Jérôme Kerviel by the commission of inquiry # IndépendanceJustice" https://t.co/xji2HlpvI4

- ChrisFR (@FR_Christophe_) July 8, 2020

“Société Générale knew.

It's obvious.

Obvious !

"

The native of Pont-l'Abbé (Finistère) has always estimated that the investigation which led to his conviction to three years in prison for having lost 4.9 billion euros to his former bank had been carried out irregularly.

As proof of this, he relies on the clandestine recording of magistrate Chantal de Leiris made in 2015.

In this tape of more than 40 minutes including

and Mediapart had unveiled the content at the time, we could clearly hear this magistrate explaining that the initial investigation had been "manipulated" by the bank.

“When you talk about it, all the people who are in finance laugh, knowing full well that Société Générale knew [everything about the illegal actions of its trader].

SG knew, knew… It's obvious.

Obvious !

"

Low-key meetings and a hint of collusion

In a long survey published four years ago,

, Mediapart and France Inter had also revealed that Societe Generale lawyers had participated, in 2008, in several discreet meetings with members of the financial center of the Paris prosecutor's office in order to minimize the bank's liability for fraud.

What to fuel even more the suspicions of collusion.

“These are not small accusations, comments Ugo Bernalicis today.

During his hearing, Jérôme Kerviel explained things to us.

He sent us the elements and in particular the transcription of this recording to support his analysis.

I decided to take my responsibilities by reporting these facts to the Paris prosecutor.

"

Something to satisfy the former trader.

"This report concerns facts of a very particular gravity committed by the Société Générale, through the intermediary of its lawyers, in order to influence the investigations carried out in 2008 and 2009 and on the judicial decisions which were then rendered", he reacted.

Similar complaints had resulted in dismissals

However, there is no guarantee that the initiative of Ugo Bernalicis will allow today to reopen the voluminous judicial file of Jérôme Kerviel.

Indeed, the trader had already made the same arguments by filing two complaints for "fraud at the judgment" and "witness tampering" which had ended with as many dismissals, in July 2017. A year later, he had also failed to obtain a review for lack of "new elements".

“I am well aware of it, reacts Ugo Bernalicis.

But this time, it is in my capacity as a parliamentarian that I am going to court.

A few years have passed since all of this.

And we can see that things have evolved ... "

Except maybe for the old trader.

Now 43 years old, he still has to reimburse one million euros in damages to his old bank.

Without counting the interests which run since his conviction.

“I hope that justice will be able to take up this report, educate it and finally bring out the truth after twelve years.

"

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