“Cash Investigation” on France 2, a look back at ten years of investigations

FRANCE 2 – THURSDAY MARCH 16 – 9:10 PM – MAGAZINE

Ten years is something to celebrate! Party favors, candles, cake… nothing is missing at the start of the anniversary program – the sixtieth – of “Cash Investigation”, still presented by Elise Lucet. But when we have as claimed intellectual reference Guy Debord (by his co-founder Jean-Pierre Canet), situationist and author of The Performing Arts Society (1967), we pull ourselves together quickly.

Brief extracts from undated archives are linked together, particularly well chosen. “Is it ‘Cash Investigation’ or ‘Trash Investigation’?” »asks M^e Eric Dupond-Moretti; “Sometimes I’m a little ashamed to do the same job as her [Elise Lucet] », declared Pierre Menes. But it will no longer be a question of the former sports columnist, against whom justice required, on March 8, an eight-month suspended prison sentence for alleged “sexual abuse”.

For its 10th anniversary, “Cash Investigation” has indeed chosen to survey its viewers. In terms of audiences, three themes stand out: tax evasion (13 programs out of 59 broadcast), The unmentionable secrets of our mobile phones (3.6 million viewers on November 4, 2014, not shown this evening) and Work, your ruthless universe (3.8 million on September 26, 2017), on working conditions at Free and at Lidl.

Lidl, nitrite and tax evasion

Lidl also appearing among the most cited companies in response to Elise Lucet’s call on social networks, the survey is resumed. A dramatic investigation, since it revolves around the testimonies of relatives of Catherine Lucas Le Bellec, mother of two children and head of Lidl de Lamballe (Côtes-d’Armor), who committed suicide in September 2021, at 49 years, victim of denigration since the arrival of a new regional director.

Internet users also allow themselves criticism, at the top of which: “Why is the voiceover so infuriating? » But the voiceover doesn’t like criticism: “Do you know what the voiceover tells you? », replies Jean-Pierre Canet. Also asked about the staging “heavyweight”, even silly, he explains having to compensate for the side ” tiresome “ of the subjects treated.

Boring, nitrites in ham? The second reopened investigation is a textbook case. In 2016, Arnaud de Belloy, CEO of Herta, assured that not putting nitrite in the ham could prove “extremely dangerous”, while these preservatives were classified as probable carcinogens by the WHO. However, five months later, Herta marketed the first nitrite-free ham in France. “A great memory! »comments Arnaud de Belloy, now retired, before explaining how “Cash Investigation” served him.

For the third major case reopened, on tax evasion, we can only welcome the idea of ​​giving the floor to a whistleblower, Raphael Halet. Surrounded by his family, he can finally tell how, on May 11, 2012, while watching “Cash”, he realized that his Luxembourg company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, was involved; how, without hesitation, he will contact the editorial staff, transmit documents, take risks… Why? For something priceless: for his son, he “is a hero”.