World 8 Friday, January 18, 2013
French suspect Chinese link in industrial espionage at Renault.
French suspect Chinese link in industrial espionage at Renault.
Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered the country's intelligence services to determine whether China is behind the alleged industrial espionage at Renault car-making giant.
A source at the Elysee Palace said that the secret services are investigating a Chinese link in the scandal after the company suspended three senior managers to have made mistakes that would have been very serious.
All three worked on the electrical high profile Renault car program and as a member of the firm's management committee.
If the allegations were confirmed, it would be one of the largest and most potentially damaging case of commercial espionage in recent years.
Tonight, a French magazine said the three men had disclosed information on the development of batteries for electric vehicles that Renault hopes to put into production over the next 18 months.
Le Point reported that employees had been contacted by a private company as a subcontractor used by Renault He said that in exchange for information, the money was paid into bank accounts abroad.
More damaging for Renault, Le Point also alleged leaking information technology concerned several million that the company had yet had the chance patent, which means it has not been protected against copying.
However, one of the accused men, Mathieu Tenenbaum, was reported to be surprised by the allegations and said he was waiting to hear the details of the charges against her lawyer, Thibault de Montbrial, told the AFP that the deputy director of electric vehicle program has been thrown out of the Renault building in minutes without justification outside a laconic and enigmatic, we know what you have done, you must admit.
This gap between the silence of his bosses on Monday and pre-declaration of guilt in public communication by Renault for four days of puzzled.
Renault declined to comment after suspending three employees and has not confirmed the reports it intends to take legal action against them.
The government has warned against an overall risk for French industry Renault 15 belonging to the French state.
Bernard Carayon, member of the UMP and a specialist in economic intelligence, said the Chinese connection was taken seriously.
Suspicions actually go that way, he told Le Figaro.
He said this scandal based on a lack of adequate preventive measures especially when some state services, including the Central Directorate of Intelligence DCRI Interior, French intelligence services are able to provide technical advice at a high level for businesses.
Renault is the largest automaker in France and, with a workforce of 54,300 in France and a total of 122,600 worldwide, is a key player in the economy.
The three members of the suspended staff worked at the Technocentre in Guyancourt, 20 miles from Paris, where the company's engineers are working to come up with new models.
Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan, has invested $ 4 billion in the development of electric vehicles and plans to put three models on sale this year and a fourth next year, Renault is worried about its electric program and hopes that his lead in this technology won t be threatened, a source told the BBC.
China is promoting environmentally friendly vehicles in the development of its automotive industry and its production is expected to reach 1 million units by 2020, according to the emissions of the Beijing official vehicles represent 70 of air pollution in major Chinese cities.
A member of the DCRI told Le Point that French companies had underestimated the potential damage of industrial espionage French companies don t have a sense of economic intelligence, he said.
He added is a classic case of espionage in favor Chinese are are masters of this and they went on the offensive.
French suspect Chinese link in industrial espionage at Renault World News The Guardian, French, suspect Chinese.