Insurance: Urssaf Rhône-Alpes sues SFAM for debt

Urssaf Rhône-Alpes has initiated legal action against SFAM, a former insurance broker specializing in multimedia products, in an attempt to recover a substantial debt totaling €11.76 million. The actions come amid a parallel criminal investigation into SFAM's alleged involvement in deceptive commercial practices, AFP news agency reported.

Following a public hearing on Wednesday, the trial was adjourned until April 24 to continue deliberations in a closed session of the Paris commercial court, known as the "chambre de la conseil". During the proceedings, Ursaf's legal representative emphasized that SFAM had failed to comply with the preliminary payment agreement.

In response, SFAM's legal counsel pointed to a recent payment of €1.9 million as evidence of a desire to settle the debt. Indexia, SFAM's parent company, reported ongoing negotiations with Urssaf, which have been ongoing for several months. The negotiations are due to discrepancies in the estimate of the amount owed between Urssaf's calculations and SFAM's understanding of the situation.

To help resolve the situation, SFAM initiated an external audit to come to a fair and realistic agreement. However, when approached for comment, Urssaf Rhône-Alpes refused to provide any further information on the matter.

During the hearing, a representative of Urssaf's collection agency in the Rhône-Alpes region outlined the problems encountered during negotiations with SFAM. She emphasized that there are many legal proceedings against the company and said that the tax authorities also have claims against SFAM for more than €1.5 million. This claim is registered with the Direction des Grandes Entreprises (DGE), the tax authority responsible for overseeing companies with significant sales or total gross assets exceeding €400 million.