Mediator for France's Legacy Tech Firm Warns Against Leaks

Benoit Berthelot and Irene García Pérez, Bloomberg News

A commuter alights an escalator from the underground esplanade at the La Defense business district of Paris, France, on Monday, March 13, 2023. The French economy is performing better than previously expected at the start of the year with sustained growth and signs that upward pressures on prices are easing, according to a Bank of France survey. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Hélène Bourbouloux, the court-appointed mediator overseeing Atos SE’s talks with stakeholders, sent a letter warning about potential consequences for leaks after comments about the talks appeared in the French press.

“The incessant communications on the dossier and the leaks of information have a deleterious impact on the already unstable environment of the group and hinder the smooth running of the discussions, which I remind you are taking place within the framework of a conciliation procedure with a strict obligation of confidentiality,” Bourbouloux said in a letter sent to parties involved in the talks that was seen by Bloomberg.

“Any deterioration of the situation caused by the disclosure of confidential information will be very detrimental and could lead to the liability of the persons concerned,” she said.

Atos, once a star of the French tech scene that’s fallen into trouble with upcoming debt payments, is seeking to reach a deal by the end of the month that would inject fresh funds. The company is considering competing proposals from billionaire Daniel Kretinsky and David Layani’s OnePoint as well as a group of creditors. Kretinsky’s spokesperson was quoted in French newspaper Le Figaro this week warning about the dire straights Atos’ business is in and saying the company is “falling off a cliff.”

Bourbouloux did not respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Atos and Kretinsky declined to comment.