The CEO of Casino, Jean-Charles Naouri, is the subject of a judicial investigation for rape and domestic violence. His wife filed a first complaint in October 2022, closed without further action. A second complaint led to the opening of this investigation.
Casino would have done well at a time when the group is preparing its change of ownership. The current CEO of the group of large retail brands is the subject of a judicial investigation for rape and domestic violence. According to the newspaper Le Monde, his wife filed a first complaint in October 2022. After a dismissal, because “the offense was not sufficiently characterized”, a second complaint was registered in October 2022 and “the judge of The instruction will investigate to see if there are new elements” according to the Nanterre prosecutor’s office.
According to AFP, the wife of Jean-Charles Naouri (the spouses have been divorcing since December 2021) accuses her husband of having committed marital rape in July 2020. His lawyer, Emmanuel Asmar, sees “good news” in the initiation of this investigation. Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard, lawyer for the entrepreneur, also commented on this judicial twist: “after the dismissal of his first complaint dating from February 2022, following the divorce procedure initiated by Mr. Naouri, his wife used this last resort which led us to oppose a complaint for slanderous denunciation.
The complaint mentions “insults, humiliations, belittlements” as well as “isolation” linked to “economic control”. Ms. Naouri said she was limited in her daily expenses with a Casino withdrawal card blocked at 300 euros per week. According to her, “her assistants, bodyguards and private detectives” were responsible for monitoring her on behalf of Jean-Charles Naouri. She mentioned “psychological abuse” as her husband controlled her “physical appearance”. The rape allegedly took place during a vacation in Saint-Tropez (Var) in 2020 with their two children. Le Monde pointed out that “she says she had suffered several non-consensual sexual intercourse, despite health problems that prevented her from having a serene intimate life.”
This announcement from the Nanterre prosecutor’s office comes a few days after the announcement of an agreement in principle for the takeover of the Casino group by a takeover consortium led by billionaires Daniel Kretinsky and Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière. This change of hand will put an end to the reign of Jean-Charles Naouri, at the head of Casino since 2005. The former chief of staff of Pierre Bérégovoy in Finance is faced with a large debt and several legal proceedings which will push him at the door of the group.
