A judicial investigation was opened in May, in particular for
“laundering of offenses committed in an organized gang”
, in Paris for suspicion of illegal transactions in cash within the Fnac Darty group, we learned Tuesday from a judicial source, confirming information from Mediapart.
Read also: Fnac Darty will focus on second-hand products and services
According to Mediapart, orders for equipment, in several stores of the brand, were paid by
"payments in cash above the authorized ceilings"
, sometimes reaching
"47,000 euros"
for a total amount estimated at 1.5 million euros between 2014 and 2021. Since 2015, the Monetary and Financial Code has limited the payment of goods or services in cash to 1000 euros by an individual and a professional residing in France.
This ceiling is raised to 15,000 euros for individuals who do not have their tax domicile in France and only for a private purchase.
"Possible irregularities"
A judicial investigation was opened on May 19 for
"laundering of offenses committed in an organized gang"
and
"criminal association"
, a judicial source confirmed to AFP. In a press release sent to AFP, the Fnac Darty group announced that it had
"seized the public prosecutor in Paris concerning possible irregularities observed in one of its subsidiaries, the company Établissement Darty & Fils"
. "
To date, it seems that the facts are confined to certain operations in a limited number of Darty stores
,
"
says the group.
Five Parisian stores were raided in early June and four store managers, as well as a sales manager were fired, according to the online media.
About fifteen stores in Paris and the Paris region have put in place
"a well-organized system to allow several individuals or companies to circumvent the law"
, underlines Mediapart.
Bags full of cash
Employees have described in particular to the information site men entering
"in a store of the sign, provided with plastic bags, a satchel or a sports bag"
filled with cash.
The tickets were then deposited in a cashier in the store or in the manager's safe, according to them.
Several methods were used to then hide the importance of the sums paid in cash, details Mediapart.
The Fnac Darty group ended 2020 with a turnover of 7.49 billion euros, exceeding the 7.35 billion recorded in 2019. The listed group saw its online sales increase during confinement .
