One of most influential French entrepreneurs is dead: industrial Serge Dassault died at age of 93 years of heart problems, as his family reported. His company's empire included arms and media holdings. He worked as a senator for French conservatives.
The company's heritage and studied aviation engineer, whose assets were estimated at 13 billion euros, had been in family holding groupe industriel Marcel Dassault (GIMD), named after his far, since 1986. This includes aerospace company Dassault Aviation, which manufactures, among or things, fighter aircraft Mirage and Rafale.
Dassault also purchased several media groups. He temporarily controlled up to 70 titles, including magazine L ' Express, alongside conservative daily Le Figaro.
In addition, Serge Dassault has been politically active for French conservatives for many years. But again and again he had trouble with judiciary: In February 2017, for example, he was sentenced to a fine of two million euros due to offshore accounts abroad. At same time, he was expelled from political offices for five years. This led to withdrawal of his post as a senator.
His far, Marcel Dassault, was an airplane builder before his economic career. The son of a Jewish doctor was interned by Nazis in Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II. Marcel Dassault survived camp and was liberated after end of war. His son Serge, born on April 4, 1925, barely escaped deportation of Gestapo.
Several politicians praised Dassault's merits. Former prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin called him a "remarkable personality" and a "big entrepreneur". Conservative former president Nicolas Sarkozy tweeted that France had lost a major industrialist and aviation world a pioneer. He himself "simply loses a friend," wrote Sarkozy.
Avec la disparition de Serge Dassault la France perd un très grand industriel, le monde de l'industrie, un pionnier, l ' opinion publique un grand patron de presse et moi, plus simplicity, un ami. -NS Pic.twitter.com/l6qW6WR3ju
— Nicolas Sarkozy (@NicolasSarkozy) 28 May 2018 Date Of Update: 29 May 2018, 12:02
