In a lawsuit against Ikea And former manager of the furniture store France The government lawyer has demanded a fine of two million euros and a prison sentence for spying on the employees. Prosecutor Pamela Tabardel said in her plea that the judiciary should send a “strong message” to private companies in the case. For the alleged main culprit, a former manager, he demanded three years in prison – two of them placed on probation.

According to investigators, IKEA France has asked to establish an illegal “espionage system” since 2009, in order to obtain confidential information about hundreds of employees and applicants. The allegations are illegal data collection, violation of professional confidentiality and cover up of acts. Tabarell said before the Versailles court that the subject of the lawsuit was the “protection of private life” in the case of “intimidation”: collective surveillance.

The prosecutor said that Jean-Louis B, the former head of IKEA France, ordered the espionage system. “I want a punishment that marks their lives.” From 2009 to 2012, his company policy eventually affected the lives of about 400 employees.

Four former police officers have also been charged. He is said to have given confidential information about the previous beliefs of the company’s employees or applicants. The defendants deny the allegations.

The group has distanced itself from practices

The Swedish company had distanced itself from the practice. A few weeks after the allegations became known, IKEA France announced that an internal investigation showed that the measures “did not respect the company’s values ​​and ethics”. Internal reforms should follow.

According to the news agency AFP, the espionage system has been said to cover the entire region of France. The external security company is said to get 30,000 to 600,000 euros annually from IKEA France.

The scandal was exposed in 2012 by the French satirical newspaper “Canard Enchne” and the disclosure portal “Mediapart”. The trial is scheduled for April 2.