Prosecution requests maximum penalties

The Orléans Criminal Court heard closing arguments on Tuesday 8 September 2026 in the trial of French billionaire Olivier Bouygues and five of his employees. Public prosecutor Emmanuelle Bochenek-Puren requested a five-year suspended prison sentence, a 750,000 euro fine, and a five-year ban on hunting-related activities against the 75-year-old businessman. The requested financial penalty represents the statutory maximum fine permitted under French law for the charges of destroying protected bird species as part of an organized group. For the five co-defendants, which include the estate manager and gamekeepers from Bouygues's 650-hectare Fontenaille estate in La Ferté-Saint-Aubin, the prosecution sought suspended prison terms of one to four years. The prosecutor also requested individual fines between 5,000 and 20,000 euros for the employees, alongside temporary suspensions of their hunting permits.

Evidence of animal slaughter at Fontenaille

The judicial proceedings originated from an anonymous tip that prompted an inquiry by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) into operations at the Sologne property. During searches on the estate, biodiversity agents uncovered decomposing animal remains in a pit, documenting what the prosecution described as prohibited and barbaric extermination methods. Photographs displayed during the hearing showed bloodied carcasses of protected bird species, including common kestrels, great egrets, harriers, common buzzards, and great cormorants. The investigation also revealed that domestic cats were killed, while agents seized firearms, an excavator, and around one hundred outlawed jaw traps. The prosecutor emphasized that the systematic destruction had functioned over several years under the same owner to eliminate natural predators and maximize small game stocks for private hunting parties.

“The motive for the destruction is known, assumed by some: to preserve the hunting parties organized regularly by removing predators of small game.”

Defense arguments and estate practices

Taking the stand on Monday 7 September, Olivier Bouygues denied all personal responsibility for the killings and maintained that he played no role in day-to-day estate operations. Bouygues told the court he was surprised when informed of the investigation last year, claiming he had never personally seen the burial site, which he referred to as an ecological pit rather than a mass grave. Defense attorney Éric Grassin criticized the prosecution's sentencing requests as excessive, arguing that his client should not face criminal sanctions for activities carried out by staff. However, testimony from the estate manager indicated that Bouygues was aware of the site and specifically instructed staff that the practice must not become public. Another co-defendant told judges that eliminating animals deemed harmful to game reproduction was a long-established practice in Sologne, which serves as France's second-largest forest area and a prime private hunting destination for wealthy owners.

“I have other things to deal with than managing the daily affairs of the property.”

Olivier Bouygues750,000

Estate staff (maximum)20,000

Estate staff (minimum)5,000

Olivier Bouygues

750000 EUR

Estate staff (maximum)

20000 EUR

Estate staff (minimum)

5000 EUR

Data from the article text