Overview
- The Saintes criminal court, set to try three consulting-firm leaders on Friday, sent the case back after judges and lawyers said the file did not clearly establish each person’s role.
- Prosecutors accuse the trio of steering about €1 million in MaPrimeRénov’ subsidies to their firm by using the identities of RGE-certified artisans to create quotes, then sending cheaper, non-certified crews to do the work.
- Roughly 40 to 50 victims have been identified, including homeowners who report unfinished insulation, warped shutters, and threats, and artisans who discovered their company details were used without consent.
- Banks helped trigger scrutiny when a transfer was blocked over doubts about a contractor’s bank details, while ANAH says it has joined dozens of criminal cases and has tightened checks since 2024 under new verification powers.
- The hearing could be years away after this postponement, and the case sits within a wider pattern flagged by Tracfin, which tracked hundreds of millions in suspicious flows tied to MaPrimeRénov’ since 2020.