A Paris court found the former head of France's domestic security services, Bernard Squarcini, guilty on Friday of using public resources to benefit LVMH, in a trial that shed light on efforts by the world's biggest luxury group to protect its reputation.

France’s former top intelligence official, Bernard Squarcini, was found guilty of illegally taking advantage of his networks to serve private interests, including those of luxury giant LVMH’s head Bernard Arnault.

The former chief of France’s internal spy agency has been convicted of using public resources and his position of power to serve the private interests of Europe’s richest man, Bernard Arnault, the LVMH chief executive.