French billionaire Sterin champions remigration and conservative blueprint before Senate

A rare public appearance

Pierre-Edouard Sterin, the 52-year-old founder of Smartbox and self-declared billionaire, addressed senators via videoconference from Belgium on June 4, 2026. It was his first appearance before lawmakers, and he used the more than 90‑minute session to present his political worldview. Smiling and sometimes self-deprecating, Sterin acknowledged a difficult school path and a failed childhood dream of becoming a tennis champion, but he succeeded in turning a €5,000 loan from his parents in 2003 into a fortune of €1.4 billion by early 2026. He presented himself as a reluctant public figure, insisting he devotes only 10% of his time to political activism.

The meta-political project

Sterin recounted how, after achieving extreme wealth, he asked "all this for what?" His answer was to give his life a different meaning: using his talent for making money "to do good." He created two philanthropic structures. The Fonds du bien commun, he said, supports projects of general interest in culture, education, and disability. The second, Périclès, is explicitly "meta-political" and funds organizations and think tanks that aim to influence public debate without contesting elections directly. "Our aim is to spread free-market, conservative ideas as widely as possible," Sterin stated, adding that he hopes these efforts will, in the coming months and years, bring a "right-wing liberal conservative" policy to power in France.

We hope it will, in the coming months and years, bring free‑market, conservative right‑wing ideas to power in France.

Internal documents from Périclès, published by L’Humanité in 2024 and confirmed by Sterin, describe its aims as fighting "socialism, wokism, Islamism, immigration." The organization’s co-founder, François Durvye, has since joined far‑right leader Jordan Bardella, who polls suggest is leading next year’s presidential election, as a special adviser.

Immigration and economic positions

Sterin’s most contentious statements came on immigration. "I am in favour of the re-migration of foreign criminals, undocumented migrants or those unemployed for more than 12 months," he declared, acknowledging that this stance placed him "to the right of the (French) far right." On economic issues, however, he claimed to stand "at the far left of the far right." When asked to define himself politically, he called himself "centre‑right." Sterin also said he opposes abortion rights but declined to enter that debate.

I am in favour of the re-migration of foreign criminals, undocumented migrants or those unemployed for more than 12 months.

Tax exile and personal wealth

Sterin described himself as a "tax exile of the François Hollande generation," having moved to Belgium in 2012 after the then‑president proposed a 75% tax on millionaires. Although the Constitutional Council quickly struck down the measure, Sterin did not return. He told senators he saves between €100,000 and €200,000 a year in taxes by living abroad, money he says he redistributes to charity projects in France in far larger sums. "Hollande doesn’t like the rich, and I don’t like the social‑communists," he remarked.

Hollande doesn’t like the rich, and I don’t like the social‑communists.

His annual family spending ranges from €150,000 to €200,000, far below what his fortune could allow, he said, reinforcing his message that wealth accumulation is not his goal.

Legal scrutiny

The hearing was part of a Senate inquiry into how private foundations fund political activities. Sterin denied any impropriety. "There is no ongoing legal procedure, no investigation, no breach of the law," he asserted. He acknowledged that he had refused a similar in‑person summons from the National Assembly the previous year and was subsequently questioned by the judicial police in November 2025 about that refusal. During the Senate session, several senators grew irritated when Sterin admitted ignorance of the precise legal structures of his own entrepreneurial ecosystem and repeatedly deferred to his teams, whom he called "much more competent" than himself.