Lagardère SA releases statement regarding indictment against Chairman and CEO, Arnaud Lagardère

Lagardère SA has released a statement today revealing an indictment against its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Arnaud Lagardère, which he is contesting and against which he will appeal.

The indictment concerns facts relating to personal companies wholly owned by Arnaud Lagardère and not involving any Lagardère group companies.

As regards Lagardère SA, the indictment relates solely to facts dating from 2018 and 2019, qualified as vote buying, abuse of power and dissemination of false or misleading information, which Arnaud Lagardère firmly disputes.

In the context of his indictment, Arnaud Lagardère has been provisionally banned from holding executive office, a measure which he is contesting and against which he intends to appeal, but which nevertheless will oblige him to resign his executive offices within the group, despite the appeal.

The company says the directors have taken note of this measure and will meet in the near future to take all provisional measures required to ensure the group’s governance pending Arnaud Lagardère being able to resume the management of the group.

The directors wish to reiterate that Arnaud Lagardère is presumed innocent, and that an indictment in no way prejudges the outcome of the proceedings.

Created in 1992, Lagardère is an international group with operations in more than 40 countries worldwide. It employs 31,300 people and generated revenue of €8,081m in 2023.

The group focuses on three divisions: Lagardère Publishing (Books, E-Books, Partworks, Stationery, Board Games and Mobile Games), Lagardère Travel Retail (Travel Essentials, Duty Free & Fashion and Foodservice) and Lagardère News (Paris Match, Le Journal du Dimanche, JDD Magazine, and the Elle brand licence).

The group’s operating assets also include Lagardère Live Entertainment and Lagardère Paris Racing. Its consolidated financial statements also include Lagardère Radio SCA, which is wholly owned, and its subsidiaries (Europe 1, Europe 2 and RFM) controlled by Arnaud Lagardère. Lagardère shares are listed on Euronext Paris.