At the Ermont police station (Val-d'Oise), he was nicknamed "Monsieur Ikea".
Laurent H., police sergeant, is one of the fifteen people who appear since Monday, alongside Ikea France, for having spied on employees and customers of the sign.
A scandal revealed by the press in February 2012, demonstrating, with supporting documents, the widespread use of private pharmacies, themselves in connection with corrupt police officers.
At the helm of the Versailles Criminal Court, in jeans and a dark jacket, Laurent H. nevertheless maintains it: no, he did not do "cheating", this practice consisting in reselling information from police files.
However, the investigation revealed: between the end of 2010 and 2011, he questioned the system for processing the infractions noted (Stic), a criminal record file, 22 times, concerning employees of the Ikea store in Franconville.
Among which were two of the most active trade unionists.
Hot dog theft investigation
"I was unaware that there were elected officials ... All the consultations that I made, it was within the framework of legal proceedings", defends the police officer, evoking in particular an investigation into "casting" (of the street lamps supposedly stolen by employees and sold on Leboncoin).
At the time, management was indeed intractable on internal fraud.
And the least we can say is that the local police station is listening to him.
Laurent H., in charge of these files, went so far as to investigate a theft… of a hot dog.
“It was a restaurant employee who served his friend without charging her,” he explains.
“Weren't there more priority things in your constituency than a steal of a hot dog for 1.50 euros?
», Ironically Me Yassine Yakouti, lawyer of many civil parties.
"It was still an aggravated theft", justifies the sergeant, rejecting the accusations of "zeal".
If he himself assures that he has not received any compensation and that he has done nothing illegal, Laurent H. confirms donations of furniture to the police station and the miners' brigade.
Revelations made by Brice S., his privileged interlocutor at Ikea.
A former police officer himself, he was recruited as head of risk management at the Franconville store in the spring of 2010. His two priorities?
Internal fraud and the "kingpin" Adel Amara.
A union delegate, the latter launched a strike movement which ended up affecting almost all stores in France in February 2010.
Recruitment of a fake cashier
A stone in the shoes of the management, who had tried to negotiate the departure of the trade unionist against the sum of 240,000 euros, the equivalent of sixteen years of salary.
A transaction ultimately refused by the parent company.
A month later, an internal audit will devote several pages to the means of getting rid of Adel Amara: "setting up of a discreet and complete investigation on AA", "additional 2 staff [who] would have the unofficial mission of" mark "AA smoothly: counter-information (…) intelligence and if necessary counter-power to be measured, legal trap", "establishment of external legal support (very high level) and of an ultra-fast DDTEFP channel / Ministry of Labor (…) in order to legally leave the person concerned ”, we can read in this document in particular.
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In an impeccable pantsuit, Claire Héry, then director of the Franconville store, denies having asked to "go to the Stic" of the employees.
"It's not true," she blurted out in a sharp voice.
Recalled to the bar, Jean-François Paris, coordinator of these practices at the national headquarters, contradicts her: “I informed her that we had done research on Adel Amara, and that he had not served in prison.
By the way, the former executive also admits the recruitment of a fake cashier to spy on the trade unionist and the employment of a bodyguard for Claire Héry.
A "legal trap"
Me Sofiane Hakiki, Adel Amara's lawyer, then recalls the troubling timing between the failure of the amicable transaction, the audit ... and finally the dismissal of the trade unionist in 2012, validated by the Ministry of Labor.
Several executives, including Claire Héry, had indeed filed a complaint and will obtain the conviction of Adel Amara for moral harassment.
"This audit, it does not concern me!
», Evacuates the former director.
"You set up all the points of the plan, even though you did not know this audit?
», Pretends to be surprised by the lawyer, pointing out the« legal trap »mentioned in the document.
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“I don't know what legal trap you're talking about,” she retorts, freezing.
When I had close protection, it was not to look pretty.
I was afraid for my physical and psychological integrity and for my collaborators, ”loosens in a suddenly quavering voice the one who was the group's HRD for many years.
It is in this capacity that she will be questioned again on Thursday, alongside the former CEOs of Ikea.
