How an Elite French Masonic Lodge Allegedly Transformed Into a Prolific Criminal Network

Paris — A criminal trial involving 22 defendants opened in Paris on Monday, May 20, 2024, centering on allegations that a Freemason lodge operated as an organized crime network. The case includes former intelligence agents and police officers among those on trial, with charges that span from murder-related allegations to criminal conspiracy.

Prosecutors say the Athanor lodge in Puteaux, a suburb of Paris, served as a hub for coordinating violence tied to financial motives and personal disputes. The proceedings stem from a failed assassination attempt in July 2020 against business coach Marie-Hélène Dini, which investigators say triggered a broader inquiry into the alleged network.

According to the case file described by prosecutors, the investigation accelerated after two members of France’s parachute regiment were arrested near Dini’s home while carrying weapons. The two men told investigators they had been assigned to kill her, a claim that authorities say helped uncover links to individuals connected to the lodge.

Prosecutors allege that Jean-Luc Bagur, described as a rival business coach and the lodge’s “venerable master,” commissioned an operation to eliminate Dini for €70,000 ($80,600). The inquiry, officials say, then expanded to examine how violence was allegedly arranged and carried out through a wider set of intermediaries and hired attackers.

Three lodge members—Jean-Luc Bagur, Frédéric Vaglio, and Daniel Beaulieu—are identified by prosecutors as key defendants accused of organizing or executing crimes through that network. The broader group of 22 defendants includes people with backgrounds in intelligence, the military, business, and policing, reflecting the range of roles investigators say were involved in the alleged conspiracy.

Seven defendants, including former intelligence agents, soldiers, and businessmen, face potential life sentences if convicted, according to prosecutors. The court will examine evidence tied to the July 2020 plot and related accusations, as well as the alleged structure and purpose of the Athanor lodge as described by the prosecution.

The trial is expected to last at least three months. As the hearings proceed, the court will test competing accounts of what happened, including the prosecution’s claim that the lodge functioned as a “mafia” network, and the defendants’ responses to the allegations and charges.