The French Anti-Corruption Agency, created by Law No. 2016-1691 of December 9, 2016 on transparency, fight against corruption and modernization of the economy, commonly referred to as the “Sapin II Law”, has recently supplemented its recommendations by issuing a best practice guide for M&A transactions.
On January 30, 2020, the Court of Appeals of Lyon acquitted Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, defended in particular by Mr. André Soulier, of the charge of failing to report abuses with regard to the sexual assaults and rapes committed by Mr. Father Bernard Preynat on boy scouts he supervised between 1972 and 1991.
In this high-profile case, the judges of the Court of Appeals decided to overturn the first-instance judgement handed down by the Criminal Court of Lyon which had convicted Philippe Barbarin. Probably less receptive to the emotional turmoil legitimately created by this case, the appellate judges based their decision primarily on the strict application of the rule of law.
In today’s increasingly information dominated society, the National Assembly’s Law Committee has asked MPs Xavier Breton and Didier Paris to carry out a fact-finding mission on the secrecy of pre-trial investigations and inquiries.
In their report published in December 2019, they rightly point out the inconsistencies that surround this principle, which is fundamental, but which is undermined by the legitimate need for information. Beyond this observation, the rapporteurs draw up a list of recommendations in order to adapt the secrecy of pre-trial investigations and inquiries to the evolutions of today’s society.
Since January 1, 2017, employers have the obligation to report to the competent authorities the identity of employees who commit certain types of road traffic offenses whilst driving a company car, failing which penalties will be applied. How is this new rule enforced in practice and what are the actual implications of this new obligation? […]
Sexual offenses have rocketed into the limelight in recent months. The societal phenomenon #balancetonporc (#balancetonporc is the French equivalent of #MeToo) has led Marlène Schiappa, French Minister of State for Gender Equality, to work on a draft bill to combat sexual and sexist behaviors. With the strengthening of the existing legislative arsenal and the creation […]
In a decision dated June 28, 2017, the Criminal Chamber of the Cour de cassation (French Supreme Court) specified that “free access to personal information on a company’s IT network does not mean that such information may not be fraudulently appropriated by any means of reproduction”. This landmark decision revives the debate on the tricky […]
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