Ikea, Former Executives Face Trial for Spying on Staff in France

(Bloomberg) -- Ikea and some of its former executives were ordered to face trial in France over accusations they conspired with police officers to spy on staff.

An Ikea unit in France was accused of collecting information on employees and people applying to work for the furniture giant, according to an indictment dated April 30.

In exchange for a fee, police officers provided confidential information to former Ikea executives on past convictions. This was in turn used to dismiss staff or turn down applications.

Ikea France said it has “always firmly disapproved” of such practices.

“Ethics, compliance and transparency are priorities for Ikea France and guide all of its actions on a daily basis,” the company said. “As soon as the facts were discovered, Ikea took concrete measures to prevent such a situation, contrary to the group’s values, from happening again.”

No date has yet been set for the trial. Newspaper Le Monde reported on the indictment earlier Thursday.

Sofiane Hakiki, a lawyer for several plaintiffs, said “it is high time courts punish inadmissible violations of fundamental rights.”

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