--> Link to Google TRanslation {
http://bit.ly/1oFC00F}
EXCLUSIVE Convened tomorrow Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris, the group is accused of swindle EU subsidies and fraudulent insolvency organization.
Wednesday, May 28, lawyers Thales and the European Commission are invited to the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Paris for a "hearing fixation" to stop the trial date, which should take place in early October.
Entering by the European Office of Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the French justice continues leaders THEC (Thales Engineering and Consulting), a former subsidiary of Thales, for "fraud" EU subsidies in the research project Dreamcar on the fuel cell. THEC would have artificially increased the number of hours of engineers assigned to the project, which would have allowed him to unduly capture 2.7 million euros of EU funds.
Investigators seized "sheets cost", which would show that improper billing. The European Commission, civil party to the proceedings and represented by Parisian lawyer Jean-Didier Belot, made no comment on the case. However, the Court of Justice confirmed on its website , the Commission's application for reimbursement of advances in Dreamcar project.
Fraudulent organization of insolvency
The second aspect of this case is even more explosive: Thales is sued for "fraudulent organization of insolvency." Between 2008 and 2009, the advocacy group has dissolved its subsidiary THEC; but the magistrates suspected of having achieved industrial "fraudulent dissolution" only to stop the prosecution. This particular company was sued in the case of Nice tramway, in which it was fined 600,000 euros for "active corruption" July 4, 2008.
Michel Josserand, the former boss of THEC, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, six months in prison, as Dominique Monleau, former Associate Deputy transport the Mayor of Nice, who was sentenced to four years in prison including two farm.
The subsidiary of Thales, the dissolution had led to the extinction of prosecution. Which had led to its parent to recover € 600,000 initially provisioned to pay the fine. Suddenly, the Paris prosecutor also continuing industry group for "concealment of the proceeds of the offense of fraudulent insolvency organization," Thales has increased its earnings through a provision that would have been used to pay the heavy fine of its subsidiary.
In fact, judges are convinced of the fraudulent nature of the dissolution because THEC was absorbed by a shell, the TDC whose corporate purpose is totally different, and whose only employees are those transferred from THEC after dissolution.
Thales Defence
Thales his side "indisputably the strongest facts alleged against him so." "We will demonstrate that the transfer of the trade THEC was planned well before the investigation into the case of Nice tramway, which was initiated in particular following a complaint by the company," launches Counsel for the industrial group.
Me Nicolas Huc-Morel deplores the procedure chosen by the Public Prosecutor of Paris, which has kept this issue in the preliminary investigation without entrust it to a judge. "The criticism choice of flooring directly enter the court does not allow us to access the folder and therefore to assert our position so far," added the lawyer.
During the hearing on Wednesday, May 28, the defender of Thales may inspect in detail complaints against the industry group. Then he had four months to prepare his defense before trial.