"They methodically stripped him": the incredible story of the swindled winemaker

It's like an idiot dinner that would have lasted five years. Five years during which a champagne winemaker was the toy of five men who extracted almost 135,000 euros from him, including thousands of bottles. More than a scam: a hoax. As if two bad stars had been aligned, with on one side an isolated man, suffering from "megalomaniac delusions", and on the other a police officer and his accomplices who fed his fantasies to better abuse him.

At the end of an improbable gear, they managed to make the winegrower believe that he had become pell-mell the speech writer at the UN, the privileged ally of Barack Obama or the secret representative of the Moroccan royal family in France. Out of this grip, Hugues B. eventually regained his lucidity, and filed a complaint in 2012. As part of an open investigation in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) including abuse of weakness and extortion, his five tormentors have been indicted and will shortly appear before the criminal court.

At the end of the investigations, the men of the Hauts-de-Seine PJ considered that Ahmed Z. was the linchpin of this curious team. Positioned at the SPHP, the protection service for high-ranking personalities, the police officer was also targeted from 2014 by an administrative investigation carried out by the IGPN, the police, after which he was dismissed.

"I am a gullible person"

Ahmed Z. is the first whose route crossed that of Hugues B., in 2007. Then aged 31, the young winemaker took over the family champagne house, of which he is notably the salesman. Producer and trader, his domain produces 450,000 bottles per year. The parents of Hugues B., suffering from various pathologies, have left him the reins of the business. His brother, interned in psychiatry, is absent subscribers.

According to Hugues, his family belonged to Jehovah's Witnesses, of which he was a member "from [his] birth to [his] majority," he describes when he was auditioned in 2014. I believed in everything that the 'I was told until I was 22 years old. I am a gullible person. »A breach into which Ahmed Z quickly rushes ...

The two men were introduced by a mutual friend: Féfé, also a police officer. At the time, Ahmed Z. was still assigned to general information at the Paris Prefecture of Police (RGPP). A precision of importance, so much Hugues B. appears fascinated by this world of the shade, which quickly reveals to him behind the scenes through the intermediary of his new friend Ahmed.

"I wanted to help him"

The latter ticks all the boxes for the perfect honest man. As proof, he is even president of a humanitarian association. Cartables sans frontières (CSF) aims to send school materials to poor children, particularly in the Maghreb countries. It has several police officers among its members.

Over the months, Ahmed and Hugues become inseparable. They are called at least two to three times a day. “Hugues B. then only has very rare contacts with his family,” recalls Me Marie Dosé, his lawyer. He was socially very isolated. "His father is an alcoholic," adds Ahmed Z. when he was heard in 2016 by the IGPN. His brother beat him. Hugues was constantly belittled. I understood that he needed strong support. I wanted to help him. "

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Haloed by this "humanist nature", as he does not hesitate to describe himself, Ahmed therefore takes Hugues under his wing. For the best and especially for the worst. For the second, this sudden and unexpected friendship quickly turns out to be costly. In just two years, from 2007 to 2009, the winemaker invited Ahmed or his accomplices to the restaurant 65 times, for an overall score flirting with 10,000 euros.

For 48,000 euros of champagne samples

Necessarily, by his functions, Ahmed knows a lot of people. Recruited at the SPHP, he is thus brought to protect members of the court of Mohamed VI, the king of Morocco, during stays in France. For a while, he also provided security for the Chief Rabbi of France. Who, better than him, could praise the merits of champagne from Maison B. and recommend it to Tout-Paris?

For this, he needs samples of the precious nectar, which he collects in whole cartons. "They only wanted the very high end," recalls the winemaker at the hearing. Or almost 48,000 euros of champagne that will never be paid, when Hugues B. also estimates 40,000 euros the amounts otherwise transferred to the account of Ahmed Z ... A "marketing and commercial investment" with lost funds.

In return, Ahmed leaves the big game to his protégé. In a screen-printed car, screaming sirens and unleashing beacons, he takes him around Paris "at breakneck speed", remembers the passenger. At the legendary headquarters of the Parisian PJ, then located 36, quai des Orfèvres, Hugues B. even has the right to visit the police cells. One day, Ahmed Z. introduces him to his hierarchical superior: Nordine F., necessarily a laying of the police. In reality a simple administrative secretary at the Ministry of the Interior.

"I did not think of questioning the word of a policeman"

But Hugues B. believes in it. Especially since Ahmed has big plans for him. Strengthened by his acquaintances, he invited Hugues to an evening organized by the ambassador of Morocco. "I did not think of questioning the word of a police officer," regrets the victim. I don't see why he would have mounted all this. Hugues presents "so well" that Ahmed then offers him to become the privileged correspondent of the Moroccan royal family in France. A necessarily secret function.

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Hugues must first prepare for his new duties and learn Arabic. Ahmed knows an excellent teacher, who already gives his knowledge to the court. Without frills, and far from the monarchic splendor, ten lessons are given ... in back rooms of Parisian cafes. It costs 200 euros an hour, pocketed by this distinguished teacher, Abdellatif B., who it will appear that he is mainly an undocumented migrant paid on occasion as an indic by the brigade of Stups of the Parisian PJ.

Now is the time to get out there. Twice, Ahmed and Hugues fly to Marrakech, where they are expected to meet members of royalty. "But each time, it was canceled," laments the winemaker. A disappointment compensated by this red carpet which is rolled out. Thanks to Ahmed's interpersonal skills, “plainclothes police came to pick us up right off the plane. Our luggage was already out. I was impressed. Everyone cares for this distinguished host. "I thought I was a great personality," admits the lucky winner.

"He always wanted to pay everything"

Admittedly, he is sometimes taken aback by local habits and customs. Like Jean Dujardin in the guise of agent OSS 117, Hugues B. is challenged by this strange habit that people have, five times a day, of kneeling and prostrating together. "Because they have gastroenteritis and they have a stomach ache", frees Ahmed, who reserves a divine surprise for him: if the Moroccans have not honored their appointments, they apologize. And to thank this distinguished host, rather than granting him an overrated VIP status, they officially name him VIM: “Very Important Maboul. "Of course," everyone laughed when Ahmed said it, recalls the new pasha. But he told me that for Moroccans, it meant the opposite of French. "

According to Ahmed, it is an acronym for “beauty, wisdom and intelligence in the Moroccan language. A few weeks later, we wrote to Hugues from Morocco to inform him that a report had been devoted to him by the first Moroccan television channel. "You have now become a star, congratulates his interlocutor, an acquaintance of Ahmed. For your next stay, we are planning a bodyguard team to ensure your safety in order to face the many fans who are waiting for you. "

"It was a joke," said the policeman. He was someone we liked and carried. But in business, Hugues was formidable. Not that much obviously. Because as for all their trips, including a third in Morocco for a 4 x 4 raid, as well as a trip to Dubai, it is of course the winemaker who treats, and pays all of the costs. "He always wanted to pay everything," argues Ahmed. I let myself go, I did not pay attention to that. "

Tata Yoyo, General de Gaulle, mother Teresa and Casimir

And why would Hugues B. play little arm, when he is promised an upcoming salary of 400,000 euros monthly in exchange for his good offices? Pending payments, he continues to manage his company, whose stock continues to fall. A cargo of 3000 bottles is notably recovered "for the Emperor of China and the President of China. If the delivery man is Chinese, he is mainly the owner of a restaurant in Antony (Hauts-de-Seine), where the bottles will never come out. It is that on the side of the sharks, it sparkles dry! A single meeting of the NGO CSF thus consumes almost 6600 euros of champagne.

Very rarely, the winemaker asks questions. On May 22, 2008, he was surprised by this other general meeting of CSF, for which he offered 102 bottles, “the equivalent of 600 flutes for tasting. "And this even" that there was no one at this assembly, "he wrote to the association. His conclusion: "Picnic plates have been used in an unacceptable manner, while they are participating in an association to help the children!" "

In reality, CSF will never be anything but an empty shell. MY, the restaurateur who hosted the meeting, confirmed to the PJ that indeed, only 34 bottles were consumed, the others being taken away by Ahmed. This does not prevent Hugues from persevering in the jet set evenings. At the same time, he is invited to one of them, where all the gratin will of course be present: "Tata Yoyo, General de Gaulle, mother Teresa and Casimir of the island of children", to name only the most famous.

A role to measure alongside Alain Delon

At other evenings, to which he was not invited this time, he is still asked to make the bubbles flow, so that his mark rises to the firmament of the great sparkling wines. Again, the title of the invoices leaves little doubt as to the scope of the events in question. 3000 euros are for example billed to a wave "princess of pop". So many receipts which, of course, will never be settled.

Ahmed also introduced him to Gilles B. For 23 years, this man was the driver of the chief rabbis of France. He intends to sell champagne B. among the Jewish community. Still, for that, it must be kosher. Gilles B. offers Hugues B. to take care of it. He also collects cases which seem above all to have nourished the share of angels ( Editor's note: alcohol lost by evaporation during aging in barrels ). "There were too many technical constraints," said Ahmed. This does not prevent Gilles B. from also being indicted. Especially since he greatly benefited from the generosity of the winegrower, between designer costumes and "gifts" at Darty's. "Hugues B. was jovial," defended the driver during the investigation.

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The winemaker, he took his side of these disappointments. In the meantime, he was awarded his VIM title. The official ceremony took place on the premises of a production company in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. That of Choukri G., whose own brother is a police officer at the RGPP. That's how he got to know Ahmed. More than a producer, Choukri is above all a second-rate actor, on the other hand the companion of a famous actress-director accustomed to TV sets, who spends a head that evening. It is promised, said Choukri: Hugues will have a role to match alongside Alain Delon.

"Ahmed made me promise the secret"

For now, the VIM does not have the time, busy developing multiple projects. Via Ahmed, he is asked to write speeches at the UN, which have been applauded by the delegates, he is reported. Even Barack Obama is amazed, who notices this inspired feather. But hush: it is out of the question to spread the word about this work in the shadows. "Ahmed had made me promise the secret, because they were highly coveted political posts," says Hugues during the investigations. I haven't told anyone around me. He delivers his speeches directly to Ahmed. "Once, I asked to go to the UN, but he told me that I risked death ..."

The more time passes, the more Hugues B. loses his footing, burying himself in his new roles. He covers Ahmed with gifts, telephones, costumes or computers which will be found during the search. The consecration reached him with a handwritten message from Barack Obama naming him "intergalactic president of the world. "Hugues B. takes up his duties very much, and in particular invites his American counterpart to create" intergalactic councils ", one of which would aim to better target sects," in order to protect individuals in the world from psychological and mental manipulation " .

But too often, Barack Obama remains deaf to his messages. Several times, needing to reach him directly, Hugues B. resolved to go through the United States embassy in France. The result is not up to par: “Know that your Paris employees received me very badly over the phone! “He scolds the ambassador by mail. He warns the diplomat: "Without a response within 72 hours, I will be able to sanction you! "

A plane as a gift

President Obama ends up coming forward, however. In thanks for the precious services rendered by Hugues B., he announces to him that he will offer him ... a plane! It will only have the transportation costs at its expense, from the new continent to France. The world is well done: Choukri, who has a pilot license, will be able to convey the aircraft.

This is how a small "Robin" with propellers crossed the Atlantic. A copy that Choukri G. had in fact spotted on an ad, sold in Guadeloupe. The 20,000 euros of “costs” - in reality the sale price of this copy - were transferred in March 2009 by Hugues B… The aircraft joined the Lognes airfield (Seine-et-Marne), where it would still rot. Choukri may have put it in his name, "it was not really a deal," he assured the investigators. There was too much work to do to allow it to fly, including a new engine of around 40,000 euros to buy. "I did not intend to use this aircraft," says Hugues. It was rather the prestigious side of Barack Obama's gift that fascinated me. "

More than with an airplane, it is through construction that he intends to create bridges between East and West. In February 2009, he wrote to Ahmed to discuss with him the construction of a "medina castle" on the Champs de Mars, with a view of the Eiffel Tower, covering an area of ​​six to eight hectares with access by helicopter. The construction order is signed: VIM.

"Flashed" 60 times

A VIM which requires a vehicle that is suitable for its functions. He thus offered himself an Audi A5, which he will however have very little opportunity to use. The sedan was indeed requisitioned by Ahmed. "He borrowed it from me very regularly for several weeks," explains its owner. He explained to me that I had to check it regularly for my safety. "At the" police garage, in a specialized service ", the vehicle must be protected from electromagnetic waves and shielded," to make it compliant in the event of an attack ".

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While waiting to collect his Audi, Hugues B. is reduced to using rental cars. With which he broke speed records. Nordine, Ahmed's chef, promised him that, with 180 bottles of champagne, he would blow up all of his PVs. From 2007 to 2010, the winemaker was "flashed" 60 times. "I was almost on purpose not to respect the Highway Code," he admits. In the end, he received 13,000 euros in fines, and had to apply for a first law firm, which billed him 17,000 euros in fees to settle the situation.

"The Audi? I only took it once to go to Perpignan ", minimizes Ahmed, who has everything answered. He denies having received the gifts. Only "a Star Wars rocket for [his] son. Perhaps, too, a few costumes, "but he was the one who wanted", "so that we can be like him when we go to a restaurant". However, he leads a big train, chain stays at Club Med, weekends in Monaco and holidays in Chamonix. This time without Hugues B. And without sharing it with his loved ones either. “The end of the month was complicated, overwhelms Ahmed's wife, heard during the investigation, and who has left him since. I couldn't always pay the rent. Several times I had to ask my parents for financial assistance. "

"A dream seller"

On the other hand, she saw bottles of champagne pass at her home. "It was he who insisted on giving them to me," argues Ahmed, whose lawyer did not respond to our requests. He wanted me to promote it. I was forced. I was a bit naive. One of his colleagues who participated in the CSF "adventure" describes him above all as "a seller of dreams". “He showed us selfies with celebrities, and suggested that he knew a lot of people. "

Ahmed's psychological problems, Ahmed denies having ever identified them, while admitting in the man who had become his "brother" some atypical character traits. "In the end, it scared me," he dares. This is not really the opinion of those who have crossed them. MY, manager of a restaurant where the group has its habits, is categorical: “MB laughed for no reason when I hadn't said anything funny. I was wondering… ”For him, Ahmed's attitude is unequivocal. "He took advantage of his kindness, analyzes the restaurateur. Because the other always said yes when he asked him something. MZ made fun of him, said he was abnormal, crazy and unconscious. "

The investigators are categorical: “the psychological difficulties of Hugues B. could not be ignored by the protagonists. This is exactly what is corroborated by several psychiatrists who have looked into his case. A first, in 2015, evokes "a very active delusional process", in action before 2007, and is astonished that the victim has never been the subject of judicial protection measures of the curatorship type. "It is enough to enter into his delirium to make him perform acts contrary to his own interests. This phenomenon could be explained by "early mental conditioning" linked to his former membership in Jehovah's Witnesses. A last expert, in March 2019, noted "a personality disorder", "megalomaniac thematic psychoses" which gave him "narcissistic pleasure" and led to "an obvious state of vulnerability".

"Particularly pernicious" facts

"Usually, this type of business often sees the weak exploiting weaker than them," notes Me Marie Dosé. There, they methodically stripped him, as real professionals and fine psychologists. It is abject. On the side of the IGPN investigation, the facts are described as "particularly pernicious, organized and repetitive on the part of MZ and his accomplices". “My client's illness also means wanting to be loved and recognized,” continues Me Dosé. But to admit it is to face these lies surrounding him. "

The five indicted, they do not budge. During several confrontations carried out in February 2019, they maintained that they had limited themselves to jokes. If his relationship with Hughes B. ended at the end of 2011, it is because he "spoke to him badly" and "believed that everything was due to him," says Ahmed. "It had become invasive. "

It is especially that the accountant of Hugues B. whistled the end of hostilities. In 2009, he reminded him that "your company and you constitute two different people". For not having understood this, Hugues B. was prosecuted for misuse of corporate property in March 2012, and placed under judicial control. Among other doubtful invoices, the judges discovered 22,125 euros of champagne which would have been ordered by a certain Mr. Bond, who seems to have been very secret in the reimbursement of his claim.

"He wonders how he could have believed it all"

At the start of 2013, the Champagne B. were liquidated. An electric shock. "I only understood that I had been swindled when I lost my company," says the winemaker. "But how could you believe this whole story? "Asks a police officer. "It was done thread by needle," laments the victim.

“Hugues B. is a still very fragile man, who became aware of this fragility, describes Me Marie Dosé, his lawyer. He still finds it hard to bear this story, which he did. He doesn't know where to put it all. It is dizzying to understand. So much so that sometimes the ex-winemaker still struggles to convince himself that this foray among the greats of this world was nothing but a screen of smoke. "He wonders how he could have believed all that," explains his lawyer. While at times almost want to go back. "