“The offenses sought are organized fraud, habitual money laundering, bankruptcy and abuse of social property,” said deputy prosecutor François Touret de Coucy.
The Grenoble prosecutor’s office, which recently opened a preliminary investigation for “abuse of social good“within the company Go Sport, announced Monday to have divested in favor of the Paris prosecutor’s office. This investigation will now be carried out under the aegis of the National Jurisdiction for the Fight against Organized Crime (Junalco), the prosecution told the press, confirming information from the daily The world.
“The offenses sought are organized fraud, habitual money laundering, bankruptcy and abuse of corporate assets.“, also reminded the press the assistant prosecutor François Touret de Coucy. According to Le Monde, the investigation was extended to all companies of Financière immobilière bordelaise (FIB), investment fund of businessman Michel Ohayon and its distribution branch HPB (Hermione, People & Brands) , parent company of Go Sport.
Read alsoGo Sport France placed in turn in receivership
“The national competence of Junalco allows it to extend the investigations, according to the investigation strategy which will be fixed by the Paris prosecutor’s office.“Said François Touret de Coucy. In Grenoble, the prosecution opened a preliminary investigation in November 2022 for “abuse of social good“, after the auditors of Go Sport had sent to justice “several revelations of criminal factsWithin the group, according to the Grenoble prosecutor’s office.
Liberation, citing sources familiar with the matter at the time, said that the investigators were interested in two “punctures” suspects on the cash of Go Sport, totaling more than 50 million euros, while the chain of sports stores had benefited from two loans guaranteed by the State, in the amount of 55 million euros, for the to help overcome difficulties during the health crisis.
A struggling group
Go Sport, founded in 1978 and based in Sassenage in the suburbs of Grenoble, was taken over by HPB at the end of 2021 for a symbolic euro from the parent company of the Casino food distribution group, the Rallye company, itself heavily in debt. Michel Ohayon has made a name for himself in recent years by buying other retail brands, often at low prices or in court: Go Sport, Camaïeu, but also certain stores in Galeries Lafayette, La Grande Récré, Gap France and Café Légal. .
Several companies in the Bordeaux businessman’s group are now in difficulty, in the wake of the sudden liquidation of the Camaïeu brand in September. The Go Sport group and SAS Go sport France have been placed in receivership in recent weeks and Gap France – acquired in January by Go Sport for 38 million euros – could suffer the same fate on Wednesday before the commercial court. from Grenoble.
Read alsoCamaïeu, Gap, Go Sport… Rise and fall of Michel Ohayon’s empire
In addition, the Bordeaux Commercial Court last week placed the twenty-six Galeries Lafayette brands owned by Michel Ohayon in safeguard proceedings, while pronouncing a salvo of legal redress for other companies of the businessman. .