Former Casino CEO Jean-Charles Naouri Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Corruption and False Information Dissemination

Jean-Charles Naouri, the former CEO of Casino Group, was convicted of active private corruption and the dissemination of false or misleading information related to a scheme intended to influence the company's stock price. On January 29, 2026, the Paris correctional tribunal sentenced Naouri to four years in prison, including one year under electronic surveillance at home. He was also fined one million euros and banned from managing any company for five years.

The charges stemmed from events between September 2018 and June 2019, a period when Casino was grappling with heavy debt and pressure from activist investors. Naouri was found guilty of paying financial publisher Nicolas Miguet to disseminate favorable but misleading information about Casino's financial health. However, the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove direct stock price manipulation by Naouri.

Nicolas Miguet himself received a four-year prison sentence with two years suspended and an 800,000-euro fine. The Casino Group was fined 40 million euros, with 20 million suspended, and other former executives were also penalized heavily with fines up to 500,000 euros.

Casino Group, owner of brands such as Monoprix and Franprix, has been undergoing major restructuring since being acquired by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky in 2024. This restructuring involves the sale of 366 stores and projected job cuts of about 3,200 positions. The company had been struggling financially throughout the period under Naouri's leadership, with its stock price plunging to around 25 euros—a low from which it has not recovered.

The court, presided over by Bénédicte de Perthuis, condemned Naouri for failing in his duties, emphasizing the gravity of the corruption and false information offenses. This conviction marks a significant moment in corporate governance accountability in France, highlighting the consequences of illegal stock market and corporate information manipulations.