Loïk Le Floch-Prigent died on the night of Wednesday, July 16, in Paris, at the age of 81, his wife told AFP. 81 years old, he had been the CEO of several major French public companies. But he was also sentenced to prison.
“Until the end, the large industry captain he was fought both for his businesses and for the defense of French industry,” wrote Marlène Le Floch-Prigent in a statement transmitted to AFP.
Convicted of financial embezzlement
Loïk Le Floch-Prigent managed large French companies such as Rhône-Poulenc (1982-1986), Elf Aquitaine (1989-1993), bought by Total in 1999, GDF (1993-1995) and SNCF (1995-1996). “Loïk had a passion for France which he served with determination both in the private world and in great servant of the State,” adds his wife in his message.
But he is also known for having spent about two years in prison for financial embezzlement. Judge Eva Joly had uncovered a network of influenza, corruption and embezzlement involving the leaders of the ELF group, including Loïk Le Floch-Prigent, and ministers like Roland Dumas and Charles Pasqua from 1989 to 1993.
“As he was president of Elf, he paid the broken pots”
Loïk Le Floch-Prigent was thus sentenced in 2003 to five years in prison for the abuse of corporate goods in the main component of this ELF file, involving nearly 305 million euros in embezzlement.
He had been released three years ahead in April 2004, invoking health reasons, but had, in September 2010, to find this prison in a few months which he could not bear. “As he was president of Elf, he paid the broken pots,” said his widow with AFP.
In 2012, he was arrested in Côte d’Ivoire and then extradited to Togo, where he was placed for five months in pre -trial detention in a scam case. Back in France the following year, he proclaimed his innocence. In recent years, he has exercised “advisor” activities in the industry, his “battle horse”, and “until the end, he was still working,” explains his wife.
