It would be a debt of approximately 100 million

Satisfied by the decision of the Court of cassation which recognizes no fault on the part of Credit Lyonnais in the Adidas record, Jean-Pierre Aubert, President of CDR, who will soon leave his duties by reason of the entry of the Organization of hiving-off in the fold of the Caisse des Dépôts in early 2007, hope is still a mediation with Bernard Tapie, to conclude this matter more than ten years old.

It is a great day for the COR...

To use the formula of Marshal Joffre, I don't know who won, but I know who would have lost... This judgment of the Court of cassation is the victory of justice, its independence and wisdom. Its judges were able to analyze the reality of the facts without responding to the media pressure around the fictionalized defended by Bernard Tapie. They have demonstrated that the COR, anxious to preserve the interests of taxpayers, was correct not to bow to the judgment of the Court of appeal on September 30, 2005.

Is this a final victory according to you

I have shown, since I am the Chair of the COR, my impartiality and my realism. No, is not yet a final victory, even if the Court of cassation refused to pronounce on the possible harm to Bernard Tapie as no fault is characterized from Crédit Lyonnais, nor of the SBDO. It is a crucial point for us, but the Court of appeal will have to retry the case, hopefully this time on the facts as they are and not as they have been abused by the Court of appeal, the General Counsel and the Prosecutor's Office. The reality is that Bernard Tapie took himself the initiative to sell Adidas and has set itself the price. There was perhaps a fault of the Credit Lyonnais of the has not informed in writing of the option given to Robert Louis Dreyfus, but no harm! I hope that the Court of appeal reference back to the truth of the facts.

Is an arrangement always possible to avoid this new procedure

Of course! I am ready to conclude if my Board of Directors follows, once put in agreement with the Tapie group liquidators on a reasonable and realistic basis. The COR is willing to abandon his claims and to fill all or part of the liabilities which would not be covered by assets, i.e. to make the Ombudsman's proposal Jean-François Burgelin who, as noted, had been accepted by the CDR, but denied by the lawyers of Bernard Tapie. Third-party liabilities from the winding-up amounts to 50 million euros, its assets to about EUR 40 million. But to negotiate it takes two!

It was the last large litigation for the CDR. What is the total bill for Credit Lyonnais

For the COR, the total cost of the hiving-off has been reduced in the ten years of EUR 16 billion in 1995 to EUR 10.4 billion in 2005 on the 28 billion euros in assets and hundreds of disputes that have been transferred. On figure of 10.4 billion not included the cost of funding for the hiving-off taken into account by the EPFR (1) or in direction opposite the revenues of the privatization of Credit Lyonnais. Moreover, there is still an important file, in EALC in the United States, expected a court ruling in our favor by may end the year. It would be a debt of approximately 100 million. I hope to complete this dossier before my departure on 20 December, the CDR entering in the liquidation phase in early 2007.