Navalny family mulls taking France to European court: lawyer
In 2014, Navalny and his brother Oleg were found guilty of fraud and money laundering via their transport and logistics firm which was working with Yves Rocher.
The brothers later took Yves Rocher to court in France over alleged false accusations but their complaint was dismissed by the courts.
'We are considering taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights,' said William Bourdon, who represents Navalny's family.
'It was our duty to go all the way with his wife, in memory of Alexei,' he said, referring to the opposition politician's widow Yulia Navalnaya.
In 2013, Russian investigators accused the Navalny brothers of 'stealing' and laundering millions of rubles from Yves Rocher and a Russian firm.
The indictment followed a protracted investigation, which Navalny dismissed as persecution over his political activities.
Oleg served three-and-a-half years in prison and was released in 2018, while Alexei received a three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence.
Yves Rocher, one of the first foreign cosmetics brands to enter Russia in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, eventually acknowledged publicly that it had sustained 'no damage' in the money laundering case.
But, in 2021, Russian authorities used the embezzlement charges to jail Navalny. He died three years later in unclear circumstances, with his family saying he was killed on President Vladimir Putin's orders.
'I'm in jail due to a criminal complaint by a French company,' Navalny said in 2022, referring to Yves Rocher.
In 2017, the European Court of Human Rights denounced the Russian court for its original ruling that was 'arbitrary and manifestly unreasonable', ordering that the brothers be paid €83,000 in damages and costs.
Alexei and Oleg Navalny then filed a false accusation complaint in the western French city of Vannes, not far from Yves Rocher's headquarters, and an inquiry was opened in 2019.
'We do believe that we will find here a real and fair justice which, unfortunately, we cannot find in Russia,' Alexei Navalny said at the time.
However, French judges eventually dropped the inquiry, and on Tuesday, the Court of Cassation, the highest court of the French judicial system, upheld the decision after an appeal by Navalny's family.
'We are disappointed that the Vannes court was too cautious, which benefited Yves Rocher,' said Bourdon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
14 minutes ago
- France 24
Russians struggle with 'crazy' prices
"The prices are crazy," lamented the 84-year-old, who said he can no longer afford cherries -- or even potatoes, a staple that is now three times more expensive than a year ago. Russia's three-year-long military offensive on Ukraine has caused inflation to surge at home, a thorn in the side for the Kremlin, which strives to shield Russians from the fallout of its campaign. Western sanctions have disrupted supply chains and dozens of consumer brands have left the country, while inflation is now running above 10 percent. Meanwhile, deep labour shortages caused by massive recruitment by the army and arms manufacturers, have seen both salaries and prices jump higher. Russia's Central Bank last week cut interest rates from a two-decade high, saying inflation -- including food prices -- was starting to come under control. But for many hard-pressed Russians, it does not feel that way. Paltievich's wife, Tatyana, stood next to him clutching a small punnet of strawberries -- a precious treat for her grandchildren that set her back 400 rubles ($5). "We survived 1991, so now we're not afraid of anything," she said defiantly, in reference to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the economic chaos that followed. Filling up the fridge Many of those navigating the aisles at Moscow's Preobrazhensky market were also worried about high prices. "I came here to buy chicken for my granddaughter. It's more expensive in the supermarkets, so I don't buy there anymore," Nikolai Kucherov, a 62-year-old freelance artist told AFP. "I had to forget about travelling. For the past three or four years, I've only been thinking about filling up the fridge," he said. The Kremlin has hailed Russia's economic performance since it ordered its troops into Ukraine in February 2022. A huge surge in spending on the military has helped Moscow defy predictions that sanctions would collapse the Russian economy. Engineer Konstantin Zelenkov, 38, is one of those who have benefited from rising wages amid the government spending boom. "Some things are becoming more expensive but salaries are rising too, so it's staying roughly the same," he told AFP. Central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina has also pointed to rising wages and on Friday said inflation was starting to moderate, though it remains well above the institution's four percent target. "The high interest rate has led to a significant slowdown in inflation," she told reporters. Overall "the rate of increase in food prices has slowed", she added. But even Russian President Vladimir Putin was forced recently to address fears over a potato shortage that sent prices for the staple soaring. For many across Russia, price rises feel never-ending. "Starting even with bread, everything is getting more and more expensive," Irina Yakovleva, 68, said. "We just have to limit ourselves," she added.
Local France
21 minutes ago
- Local France
France eyes social media ban for under-15s after school stabbing
A secondary school pupil was arrested on Tuesday after killing a 31-year-old school assistant with a knife during a bag search in Nogent in eastern France. "I am proposing banning social media for children under 15," President Emmanuel Macron said on X on Tuesday evening. "Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let's do it," he added. France has been discussing restrictions on social media access, and screen time in general, for children for several years after the publication of two expert reports into the topic . Advertisement Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children's use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children's mental and physical health. Macron said on Tuesday that if no progress was made within several months, then France would go ahead with the ban unilaterally. "We cannot wait," he told broadcaster France 2. France has in recent years seen several attacks on teachers and pupils by other schoolchildren. In March, police started random searches for knives and other weapons concealed in bags at and around schools. On Wednesday, Prime Minister François Bayrou's office said a ban on the sale of knives to minors will be implemented by a decree issued within the next two weeks. Speaking to broadcaster TF1 on Tuesday evening, Bayrou said that the measure would come into force "immediately". The list will include "any knife that can be used as a weapon", he said. Bayrou has also called for a trial of metal detectors in schools. Education Minister Elisabeth Borne called for a minute's silence to be held in all French schools at midday on Thursday to honour the memory of the teaching assistant. Advertisement "The entire educational community is in shock, as is the whole nation," she told France Inter radio. Borne said she was "open to anything" to improve safety but added that ceramic blades would be invisible to metal detectors.
Local France
21 minutes ago
- Local France
French Word of the Day: Ubérisation
Why do I need to know ubérisation? Because you might see this used to describe changing industries in France. What does it mean? Ubérisation - roughly pronounced oo-berr-ee-za-see-ohn - would best translate as 'uberisation', though this is not very commonly used in English and might have a different connotation. As you might have guessed, this is an anglicism using the root word 'Uber', in reference to the ride-hail company. Technically, ubérisation refers to the rethinking of a traditional economic structure by connecting customers and service providers directly through an app or digital platform. While this allows for more flexibility, critics also see the 'gig economy' as a source of economic insecurity for workers. As such, you might hear about an industry undergoing ubérisation in France, and usually this is not a compliment. Advertisement Oftentimes, it is used synonymously with dégradation of a workforce, or précarisation (creation of insecurity, usually financial). Many people in France see the gig economy model as directly opposed to French employment standards, particularly when it comes to workers' rights. Although Uber is far from the only 'gig economy' company operating in France, it was the first ride-share business to enter the market, and was the subject of fierce protests by French taxi drivers. It has therefore come to symbolise this type of business, becoming a French verb in the process. Like most 'borrow' words, ubériser has become a standard 'er' verb in French, conjugated in the normal way, although the noun ubérisation is more commonly used in everyday French. Use it like this Les enseignants se plaignent de l'ubérisation de la profession avec de plus en plus d'enseignants contractuels. - Teachers are complaining about an uberization of the sector with more and more teachers on temporary contracts. Nous assistons à une ubérisation du secteur, ce qui a pour conséquence que moins de personnes ont un CDI et moins de personnes bénéficient d'une protection totale de l'emploi. - We are witnessing an uberization of the sector, and as a result, fewer people have permanent contracts and fewer people have full employment protections.
