​Paris nightclub owner Laurent de Gourcuff fined €150,000 for “active corruption”

Parisian nightclub owner Laurent de Gourcuff, who looks after clubs including YoYo, T7, and superclub Phantom which opened last year, has been fined €150,000 for “active corruption”.

The Paris Society boss was also given a two-year suspended prison sentence per French media outlet Le Monde, and was banned from running businesses for the next five years with a one-year ineligibility sentence.

Laurent de Gourcuff is accused of influence peddling and concealment of favouritism, according to Le Monde, following Paris Society’s win of a 12-year concession contract for the Longchamp Racecourse in 2018.

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The racecourse included a restaurant, where de Gourcuff is said to have received “privileged information” during meals with the marketing and sales director of France Galop, the company that managed the racecourse during that time.

According to the French publication, France Galop’s former executive Fabrice F. was also given a two-year suspended prison sentence and fined €30,000.

Laurent de Gourcuff was charged on Thursday, February 8, following a trial at Paris Criminal Court. His lawyers are now reportedly appealing the sentence.

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During his November 2023 trial, prosecutors asked for a 12-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of €50,000, according to Le Monde.

Laurent de Gourcuff, 47, owns dozens of nightclubs in France. He purchased his first club, Les Planches, when he was 22, and now looks after more than 70 venues under the Paris Society portfolio, including restaurants such as Maxim’s and Monsieur Bleu.

Paris Society also owns hospitality venues in the Middle East, Europe, and North America. The company’s club portfolio includes Phantom, a 3,400-capacity superclub that first opened in March 2023, as well as Mirage, Bridge, YoYo, La Clairière, Bonnie, T7, and more.

[Via: Le Monde]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter