Elf, une affaire d'Etat

A tv programme

Created by

Bernard George

Written by

Jean-Marie Pontaut, Bernard George

Produced by

Cinétévé

Leading French distributor

France Télévisions

Production year2025

Programme formatMini-series

GenresDocumentary

Runtime 3x52'

Synopsis

In the shadow of the 1990s, a gang of unscrupulous bosses decide to pull off the heist of the century: robbing oil giant Elf. In the utmost secrecy, they embezzle nearly €250 million and fuel a sprawling network of corruption stretching from the presidential circle to dictatorships around the world. Alone in the face of these white-collar criminals, a team of fearless judges commit themselves, against all odds, to trying to stop them before they bring down the Republic...
For the first time, these unsung heroes – Eva Joly, Renaud Van Ruymbeke and Laurence Vichnievsky – have agreed to recount this extraordinary case in a documentary series with all the thrills of a political and financial thriller.
From the suspicious payment made by Elf to the Bidermann group to the hunt for Alfred Sirven in the Philippines, via the unveiling of the kickback system involving Omar Bongo, among others, this documentary series tackles the story of ‘the mother of all cases’ with panache and clarity. The one that would lead to a structural change in the judicial system and the end of impunity for the ruling class.