Prosecutors in Paris recommended Friday that a criminal case targeting former Vivendi Universal CEO Jean-Marie Messier (pictured) and six others be thrown out. The AP reports that Messier has faced fraud and other charges since June 2004. Other former top Vivendi officials charged in the case include ex-executive vice president Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
Prosecutors reportedly concluded the case should be thrown out due to insufficient evidence. The AP notes, however, that “the examining magistrates investigating the case are not obliged to follow the recommendation.”
The investigation relates to whether Vivendi published false balance sheets for the fiscal years 2000 and 2001 and issued deceptive informaion about its forecasts for this year and last, the AP article states.
“After six years of investigating, the prosecutors office can only note that there was no infraction on the part of Jean-Marie Messier. It’s not the scandal that everyone predicted,” said Messier’s lawyer, Olivier Metzner.
