BRUSSELS (AFP)--Belgian authorities found Tuesday that French utilities group Suez (SZEZY) illegally eavesdropped on its Belgian unit Electrabel in 2004, but decided there were no grounds for a criminal trial, a lawyer for Suez said.
The case goes back to February 2004 prior to Suez's full takeover of Electrabel, which it controlled at the time with a stake of slightly more than 50%.
Former Electrabel head and Suez's current second-in-command Jean-Pierre Hansen, who was favorable to the takeover, acknowledged he had helped three computer technicians install eavesdropping equipment on an employee's phone and computer.
"The aim was to protect the company against a hostile (counter) takeover and the indiscretions of the accused employee," Suez lawyer Marc Uyttendaele said.
He said authorities had "found that there was an offense but also found that it did not merit a public trial."