Capital weekly said Patrick Ouart, former secretary general of the French energy group Suez, could be tried for suspected involvement in illegally obtaining confidential information about Belgian subsidiary Electrabel.
Ouart and other Suez executives are believed to have ordered the hacking of Electrabel's computer system and the tapping of its top management's telephone conversations ahead of the Belgian utility's takeover in 2005.
Ouart, confirmed in his government post last Thursday, told France Info radio that the case, dating back from February 2004, would probably never have resurfaced if not for his new appointment.
"They would not have discussed the affair had I not been appointed to the Elysee [Palace]," he said. "This is a case with no plaintiff, no victims or damage, and I figure [in it] strictly within the framework of my previous duties as secretary general of Suez."
If convicted, Ouart and his four co-defendants - senior Suez and Electrabel executives - may face prison sentences of up to five years for hacking and three years for tapping private phone conversations, as well as hefty fines.
