For years, what she presented to her clients as internal movements or investments were in fact transfers she made to her personal accounts, those of her relatives, or even her husband’s company, based in Nice. .
Le Figaro Nice
251,000 euros: this is the sum that Philippe*, a retired maralpine notary, would have been robbed in three years by the one he trusted, the one he even considered a friend, and who was none other as his bank adviser and director of a Caisse d’Epargne agency, in Antibes, in the Alpes-Maritimes. Despite strong evidence, some claim that the notary, as a man of law, could not ignore the movements on his accounts for so long, and that, in a way, if he has nothing left today today it’s his fault. However, Philippe is not the only one in this situation, at least four other alleged victims of the banker have been identified, for a total damage estimated at nearly 500,000 euros.
It all starts in January 2021, when Philippe receives a registered letter. The lawyer for a company based in Nice informs him that it has just been the subject of a tax audit and that the auditors are trying to understand why the septuagenarian has sent him numerous transfers, for an amount that is close to the 120,000 euros. The notary, who recently retired, cannot believe it. This society, he does not know it. Without further ado, he telephones his banker to ask for an explanation. “It’s nothing, just a few movements from account to account”she would then have vaguely explained to him, as reported by the Figaro the lawyer of the septuagenarian, Me Pierre Alain Ravot.
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Very quickly, events follow one another. Philippe learns that the director of the agency has been fired for gross negligence. Not without insistence, he obtains from the new director to be able to consult all his account statements, which he immediately hands over to the police. An investigation is opened and entrusted to the financial section of the judicial police (PJ) of Nice. In their report, which Me Ravot was able to consult, the investigators establish without any difficulty the offense committed by the banker. “We realized that for several years, what she told my client were internal movements or investments were in fact transfers that she made to her personal accounts, or those of her relatives, or even those of her husband’s business.The same company targeted by the tax audit in early 2021.
“She had set up a system of transfers which she passed off as internal transfers. She did it first from her workstation and then from that of her collaborators whose access codes she had retrieved »
But how could Philippe not notice anything for so long? Because that is the crux of this case. “He had passbooks, savings up to 251,000 euros. He didn’t spend his time looking at what was going on there. He also had a current account, the balance of which he worried about only through his adviser. It was the old fashioned way, he would call her on the phone and say, ”give me a transfer”, and she would answer: ”ok, I’ll take care of it”, says Mr. Ravot. And then, since 2018, in France, we no longer receive a paper account statement. It is up to everyone to log in to access it online. And he was quite reluctant to all computer manipulation. He therefore trusted his banker completely. This is how the latter could have acted for three years without being worried.
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“She had set up a system of transfers which she passed off as internal transfers. She did it first from her workstation and then from that of her collaborators whose access codes she had retrieved. Early in the morning when they hadn’t arrived or between noon and two she slipped on their computers, continues the lawyer. A way for her to cover her tracks.Half a million euros later, the Caisse d’Epargne opened an internal investigation with the implementation of an audit to take stock.
“She then called the defrauded customers and told them about the famous audit, without telling them of course that it was linked to suspicions of embezzlement”, reports Me Ravot. To Philippe, the banker asks him to validate all the transfers she has made “for him” since its accounts, these last years. “She sent him an email where there were written account numbers, without him really knowing what they corresponded to. And he didn’t pay attention, he signed, thinking it would help.”
“If he is here today, it is his fault”
Yet it is this signature that some criticize Philippe today. “He signed documents certifying that he had given transfer orders, it couldn’t be clearer”points out the lawyer for the former agency director, Me Michel Cardix. “He had the account numbers the money was paid into. For him not to come and say he didn’t know where the money was going would be extraordinarily gullible. He’s a shrewd businessman, a former notary, not someone who lets himself be taken in by a bank official. If he is here today, it is his fault. The banker’s lawyer is certain: Philippe acted knowingly. “Do you find it normal that this gentleman claims not to have read his accounts for several years?wonders Me Cardix again.
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“Everyone says he validated the transfers, as if he had done it in good faith. But then why fire her [la banquière] for gross negligence? And in the criminal file there is a disciplinary investigation report where we see that everything is established. There are 251,000 euros that have been embezzled, it stops there”annoys Me Ravot.
A hearing before the Nice Criminal Court was to take place on November 18, but it was finally postponed to May 12, 2023, at the request of the public prosecutor who wishes to continue the investigations. “He asked for an accountant and wants all the accounts to which my client’s money has been transferred to be examined. But we don’t care where the money went, all we want is a full and quick refund.”insists the advice of Philippe. “Of course, the Caisse d’Épargne Côte d’Azur will respect the court decision that will be rendered”indicates the group at Figaro. In the meantime, the former director of the Antibes agency, who is being prosecuted for “breach of trust”, “fraud”, and “money laundering” and placed under judicial supervision, has resumed work, as as a trainer for a company linked to the world of banking.
*Name has been changed
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