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Havas breaks silence on Bolloré corruption probe as employee is formally investigated

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By Jennifer Faull, Deputy Editor

April 26, 2018 | 3 min read

Havas has said it will fully cooperate with authorities after confirming that an employee of a French subsidiary is being formally investigated. It comes after Vincent Bolloré was charged by French police as part of an investigation into corrupt practices in Africa.

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Havas confirms employee is being investigated in corruption scandal

Vincent Bolloré is chief executive of the Bolloré Groupe the former chairman of Havas-owner Vivendi, and father of Havas chief executive Yannick Bolloré. It is alleged that he used Havas to finance the electoral campaigns of politicians, who once in office granted port contracts to the Bolloré' Groupe.

Havas’ global director of public affairs, Jean-Philippe Dorent, was questioned by police earlier this week. Havas declined to comment at the time, however, the agency group has today (26 April) said it is cooperating with investigators after he was put under formal investigation.

“Havas Group acknowledges that an employee of one of its subsidiaries in France has been put under formal investigation on Wednesday 25 April,” it said.

“Havas Group stresses that this employee benefits from the fundamental principle of presumed innocence guaranteed by criminal procedure. The Group will of course fully cooperate with the judicial authorities.”

It is alleged that managers at the Bolloré Groupe offered the services of Havas at a massively discounted price to help with the 2010 presidential campaigns of the Guinean President Alpha Condé and Faure Gnassingbé of Togo.

The agency’s involvement in the campaign is being linked to how the Bolloré Groupe then gained control of two container terminals in the ports of Lomé, the capital of Togo, and Conakry, the capital of Guinea, in the same year.

The Bolloré Groupe has denied that the agency did anything irregular.

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Havas SA is a French multinational advertising and public relations company, headquartered in Paris, France. Havas operates in more than 100 countries.

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