Key facts
- Billionaire Pierre-Edouard Sterin testified before the French Senate.
- Sterin described his aim as spreading free-market, conservative ideas to bring them to power in France.
- He denied any wrongdoing regarding his organizations' compliance with regulations.
- Sterin's organization Pericles funds initiatives advancing his agenda.
- He stated positions on immigration, favoring "re-migration" of certain groups.
French billionaire Pierre-Edouard Sterin appeared before the French Senate as part of an inquiry into political finance. During his testimony, Sterin articulated his ambition to disseminate free-market and conservative ideologies as broadly as possible, describing his operation as 'meta-political' with the ultimate goal of bringing these ideas to power in France. He explicitly denied any allegations of wrongdoing concerning his organizations' adherence to regulatory requirements, stating there were no ongoing legal procedures or investigations. Sterin's organization, Pericles, funds initiatives to advance his agenda, which internal documents describe as fighting 'socialism, wokism, Islamism, immigration.' Sterin, a devout Catholic and father of five living in Belgium, confirmed controversial stances on immigration, favoring the 're-migration' of foreign criminals, undocumented migrants, or those unemployed for over 12 months, placing himself "to the right of the (French) far right." He made his fortune with the gift voucher company Smartbox and described himself as a 'tax exile of the François Hollande generation,' referencing the former Socialist president's tax policies. Sterin stated that living abroad allowed him to save €100,000 to €200,000 annually in taxes, which he redistributes to French charity projects.