EDF found guilty of spying on Greenpeace’s nuclear campaign

EDF are planning to appeal the decision.French energy provider EDF has been found guilty of spying on campaign group Greenpeace, resulting in a €1.5 million fine, with two staff members sent to jail. Charlotte Reid has more.

A French court has found that energy giant EDF employed security firm Kargus to spy on Greenpeace as it campaigned against nuclear reactors in France.

The court fined EDF €1.5 million (£1.3 million), sent two Kargus employees to jail and gave Greenpeace €500, 000 (£428,000) in damages.

The court heard that in 2006, Kargus Consultants compiled a dossier on Greenpeace France’s intentions by hacking into a computer belonging to former campaigns head, Yannick Jadot.

EDF maintain that they asked Kargus only to monitor the group and Kargus went too far in their work.

The two security officials Pascal Durieux, head of nuclear production security in 2006, was given a three year sentence with two years suspended, whilst the second security chief, Pierre-Paul Francois, was also given three years with 30 months suspended.

The energy giant has often been the target of Greenpeace’s campaigns as it runs France’s network of 58 nuclear reactors. Greenpeace have particularly been targeting a new reactor being built in Flamanville, France.

EDF told Reuters that it denies all responsibilities and their lawyer said that they would be appealing against the decision.