Favoritism at EDF: Two-year suspended prison sentence for former CEO H. Proglio

The National Financial Prosecutor's Office has requested a two-year suspended prison sentence for Henri Proglio, former CEO of EDF, for favoritism in the recruitment of consultants without a call for tenders.

Share:

Favoritisme EDF : prison avec sursis

The trial of Henri Proglio, former CEO of EDF from 2009 to 2014, has shed light on controversial recruitment practices at the energy giant. Accused of favoritism, Mr. Proglio allegedly initiated overriding and illegal recruitment procedures to hire consultants outside the rules of competitive bidding. The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) has requested a suspended prison sentence of two years and a fine of 200,000 euros.
According to the PNF, these practices were “le fait du prince”, in the words of representative Sébastien de la Touanne. EDF, as a legal entity, also faces a fine of one million euros. A conviction which, according to the defense, could affect the Group’s ability to bid for certain international contracts.

Litigious contracts worth 36 million euros

The lawsuit concerns 44 contentious contracts worth a total of €36 million, awarded to consultants for lobbying, strategic consulting and risk management assignments. The consultants, who included communicators, former company directors, judges, lawyers and journalists, were paid between 40,000 and four million euros each. Only those who received more than 400,000 euros will be prosecuted for handling favoritism.
Henri Proglio pleaded for the efficiency of these recruitments, denying any intention to circumvent the rules. Most of the 11 consultants sued, including nine individuals and two companies, claimed they were unaware they were being solicited outside the rules.

Recruitment without competition

The prosecutor insisted that no competitive bidding procedure, even a simplified one, had been put in place. Many consultants were recruited because of their personal relationship with Mr. Proglio. The case of physicist and former minister Claude Allègre, who was paid 336,000 euros for pro-nuclear lobbying, was cited by the public prosecutor as an example of the lack of competitive bidding.
The consultants, such as former journalists Jean de Belot and Laïd Sammari, and criminologist Alain Bauer, face sentences ranging from six to 18 months’ suspended imprisonment and fines of between 121,000 and one million euros. Only Loïk Le Floch-Prigent, former director of Gaz de France and SNCF, faces a one-year prison sentence due to his criminal record.

Decision expected in several months

At the hearing, each consultant defended his selection, extolling his specialist skills. The prosecutor ironized this self-proclaimed specialization, pointing out that there had been no competition. The final defense arguments, including that of Mr. Proglio, are scheduled for Friday. The court’s decision will be reserved for several months.
The outcome of this trial will be decisive for future business at EDF, and could have a significant impact on recruitment practices in the public sector.

Offshore drilling company Borr Drilling Limited announced the completion of an initial tranche issuance of 30 million ordinary shares out of the planned 50 million, raising $61.5mn towards the total goal of $102.5mn.
EDF announces a new internal organization with key executive appointments to enhance decision-making efficiency and expedite the revival of nuclear and hydroelectric projects central to its industrial strategy.
Rubis announces half-year results of its liquidity agreement managed by Exane BNP Paribas, totalling 241,328 shares exchanged for an aggregate amount of €6.5mn in the first half of 2025.
Chinese oil giant CNOOC Limited appoints Zhang Chuanjiang as chairman, entrusting this experienced engineer to head the group's board of directors, strategic committee, and sustainability committee from July 8.
PTT Oil and Retail Business announces a 46% increase in net profit for the first quarter of 2025, driven by regional expansion in its energy and non-energy activities, alongside an integrated ESG strategy.
Shell revises downward its forecasts for the second quarter of 2025, anticipating notably a decline in Integrated Gas and Upstream segments, impacted by reduced volumes and lower profitability in several major activities.
The Luxembourg-based group will handle engineering, procurement, commissioning and installation of flexible pipelines and umbilicals to link a new field to Egypt’s existing offshore infrastructure, with offshore work scheduled for 2026.
British firm Octopus Energy is considering a £10 billion spin-off of Kraken Technologies, involving an upcoming minority stake sale, and has initiated preliminary discussions with banks to oversee the strategic operation within the next year.
Investment fund Ardian finalises its takeover of Akuo and appoints former Électricité de France executive Bruno Bensasson to steer the renewable-energy developer’s growth towards five gigawatts of installed capacity by 2030.
TotalEnergies acquires 50% of AES' renewable portfolio in the Dominican Republic following a previous purchase of 30% of similar assets in Puerto Rico, consolidating 1.5 GW of solar, wind, and battery storage capacities in the Caribbean.
Q ENERGY France secures a bank financing of €109 million arranged by BPCE Energeco to build four new energy production facilities, totalling 55 MW of wind and solar capacity by the end of 2024.
Shell announces amendment of two annual reports after notification by Ernst & Young of non-compliance with SEC auditor partner rotation rules; however, financial statements remain unchanged.
The Financial Superintendency of Colombia approves an amendment to Ecopetrol’s local bonds and commercial paper program, enabling issuance of sustainable, indexed, or in-kind repayable instruments.
ABO Energy is selling its subsidiary ABO Energy Hellas and an energy project portfolio of approximately 1.5 gigawatts to HELLENiQ ENERGY Holdings, thus refocusing its strategic resources towards other markets, notably Germany, without major financial impact anticipated for 2025.
Iberdrola announces a supplementary dividend of €0.409 per share for 2024 under the "Iberdrola Retribución Flexible" programme, bringing the total annual remuneration to €0.645 per share, representing a year-on-year increase of 15.6%.
BHP has signed contracts with COSCO Shipping to charter two ammonia-powered Newcastlemax bulk carriers, primarily for transporting iron ore between Western Australia and Northeast Asia starting from 2028.
CBAK Energy and Anker Innovations jointly launch a battery cell manufacturing facility in Malaysia, with a commercial potential estimated at $357 million, further strengthening their strategic partnership in the lithium-ion battery sector.
German energy group Badenova plans to invest $4.64 billion in its energy networks and capacity by 2050, including $232 million committed from 2025, according to the company's recently published annual financial results.
ORIX announces the sale of the majority of its stake in Greenko to AM Green Power and commits a new USD 731mn investment in the Luxembourg-based AMG holding, confirming its strategic repositioning in next-generation energy.
Invenergy seals four further contracts with Meta to supply nearly eight hundred megawatts of solar and wind power to the group’s data centres, lifting total cooperation between the two companies to one point eight gigawatts.