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France
French ex-spy chief trial to expose murky private intelligence work for LVMH

By Thierry LEVEQUE and Franck Renaud
Reading time 6 min
Bernard Squarcini, former director of France’s domestic intelligence service, the DCRI.
Bernard Squarcini, former director of France’s domestic intelligence service, the DCRI. © Laurent Carré/MaxPPP

The trial of Bernard Squarcini, a former head of France's domestic intelligence service, opens on Wednesday in Paris. The case has exposed the details of the many subcontractors who operated on behalf of the luxury group LVMH and its boss Bernard Arnault.

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The former head of French domestic intelligence, Bernard Squarcini.
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Headlines

The Sharjah skyline from Dubai Airport, United Arab Emirates.
Spotlight | UAE US and UK consultants stranded in UAE for months amid money laundering probe United States Tulsi Gabbard's ODNI cuts also targeted counternarcotics
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, discussing counternarcotics during a panel discussion with the Working Group on Internal Security, in Washington, DC, on 23 October 2025.
China, Hungary, Serbia Beijing's Belt and Road 'militias' to be deployed in Serbia, Hungary and Poland
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (right) attends a welcome ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, on 25 May 2026.
Ukraine, United States AeroVironment puts new Switchblade drone to the test with SBU's Alpha unit
A drone operator from Ukraine's SBU’s Alpha Unit ahead of a strike operation on a Russian supply route.
France DGSE locks down top positions until presidential
The head of France's DGSE external security agency Nicolas Lerner, in Paris, on 11 June 2026.
Deep Dive | Belgium, China, European Union European Commission beefs up security in face of China threat
Brussels, a hub for Chinese spies (3/3).
Deep Dive | China, European Union, France China's learned European influence network
Brussels, a hub for Chinese spies (2/3).
Deep Dive | China, European Union From seduction to disdain, EU diplomacy grapples with China
Brussels, a hub for Chinese spies (1/3).

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