French telco Orange found guilty over workers’ suicides

PARIS: French telecom group Orange and its former CEO Didier Lombard were guilty of “moral harassment” that prompted a spate of suicides during a restructuring at the company in the late 2000s, a Paris court ruled on Friday. The landmark ruling against the former telecom monopoly is bound to reverberate in French boardrooms as it could pave the way for other similar collective procedures.

The court sentenced Lombard to a year in jail, of which eight months will be suspended, and a ¤15,000 ($16,700) fine. Yet since that term is under two years and as Lombard does not present a danger to society, he will not spend time behind bars under French court rules.