Former Kiabi treasurer released amid investigation into 100 million euro fraud

Monday 16 March 2026 - 17:00

Aurélie B., the former treasurer of French retail chain Kiabi, has been released from prison and placed under electronic monitoring after serving a year and a half behind bars. She remains under investigation for allegedly diverting 100 million euros through a complex financial fraud.

Authorities arrested her in August 2024 at Figari Airport in Corsica after arriving on a private jet. She faces charges of organized fraud and money laundering. Her former partner, Clément D., 32, is also under investigation for money laundering and acts as an assisted witness for fraud-related charges.

In June 2023, Kiabi placed 100 million euros of surplus cash in an account at Germany’s Volksbank Düsseldorf Neuss on Aurélie B.’s recommendation. The funds were later transferred to Turkey using the same account, according to the company.

The fraud involved sophisticated “relay accounts” where multiple accounts quickly moved small sums of money to obscure the trail. Aurélie B., who had moved to Miami in early 2024 to start a new luxury business venture, reportedly acquired three multi-million-euro properties. These assets have now been seized under U.S. legal proceedings. Kiabi expects to recover approximately twenty million euros from these properties during a hearing scheduled for June.

The German bank has also faced repercussions from the case. The affair delayed approval of its annual accounts and contributed to the resignation of former CEO Rainer Mellis. Kiabi recently reached an agreement with Volksbank to assist in recovering the diverted funds, though the full whereabouts of the 100 million euros remain unknown.