False statement said French giant would sack its CFO and revise its 2015 and 2016 accounts

Shares in French construction giant Vinci fell by 18% in trading yesterday after falling victim to a fake press release.

The false statement put out yesterday afternoon said the contractor would revise its accounts for 2015 and 2016 and sack its chief finance officer, Christian Labeyrie.

But Vinci said: “Vinci denies formally all the information contained in this fake press release and is investigating all legal actions in furtherance thereof.”

After Vinci’s statement the firm’s share price recovered to end the day just 4% down at €58.80 (£50.40).

According to the BBC, France’s financial market regulator AMF said it would look at the situation and could launch a full-scale investigation into the matter.

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