The Kohler Affair: The Battle to Reveal Emails and Other Data Seized in Bercy

An intense and highly sensitive legal battle is raging behind a judicial investigation targeting Elysee General Secretary Alexis Kohler. Accused since September 2022 of “illegal acquisition of interests” as part of an investigation into his family and professional ties to shipowner MSC, Emmanuel Macron’s right-hand man has denied communicating with the Anticor Association – the civil party in the case – many of the documents seized during the search. in Bercy.

Alexis Kohler is being sued for his ties to MSC, a company founded and run by his mother’s cousins, the Aponte family. media party in 2018. Thus, between 2010 and 2012, Mr. Kohler, then Deputy Director of the Agence des Participations de l’Etat (APE), participated in discussions regarding two structures of which he was director, STX France (today hui Chantiers). de l’Atlantique) and Grand Port maritime du Havre, both connected to MSC. Mr Kohler’s former bosses at APE, Bruno Bezar and Jean-Dominique Comoli, were charged on February 9 with “complicity in the illegal acquisition of interests”.

As part of this investigation, a search was conducted on June 6, 2018 in Bersi. Police in that case seized all Outlook emails from 2014 to 2018 of Mr Kohler, as well as Julien D’Normand and Thomas Cazenave, other Macron props – the three men were Mr Macron’s staff. when the latter was the Minister of Economy.

“Particularly sensitive” documents

This period is crucial, as it coincides with the implementation of Mr. Macron’s 2017 presidential campaign. Then his first steps on the Elysée. At the end of a search in Bersi, a huge mass of data is stored on an external hard drive, on a ring. “DSI Department One”. It was used by the investigators of the Economic Crimes Repression Brigade.

The Anti-Corruption Association, a very active civil party in this case, believed that it had access to these documents and believed that many elements of interest to the judicial investigation could be revealed in these e-mail exchanges. But this is the lawyer of the Secretary General of Elisha M^e Eric Dezes, who was able to obtain copies of all these documents on January 16. Antikor appointed one of his advisers, M^e Jean-Baptiste Suffron logically requests access to these digital seals. On February 14, investigating judge Virginie Tilmont granted his request.