I. – The following are appointed as representatives of the Minister responsible for the economy before the civil and criminal courts of first instance and appeal, for the application of article L. 490-8 of the French Commercial Code :
1° The Director General of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control and, with regard to cases referred to the courts in the territorial jurisdiction in which they exercise their duties, the Regional Directors of the Economy, Employment, Labour and Solidarity, the Directors of the Departmental Directorates responsible for the Protection of Populations, the Directors of the Economy, Employment, Labour and Solidarity and, in French Guiana, the Director General of Populations ;
2° As an exception to 1°, when the action is based on the provisions of articles L. 442-1 to L. 442-4 as well as L. 442-7 and L. 442-8 of the French Commercial Code and regardless of the court before which it is brought, the Director General of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control, the Regional Directors of the Economy, Employment, Labour and Solidarity and, in French Guyana, the Director General of Cohesion and Populations, as well as the Directors of the Economy, Employment, Labour and Solidarity, for the cases they have investigated ;
3° For cases investigated by the national investigations department, the head of this department.
II. – The Director General of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control and the Head of the National Investigation Department may designate category A civil servants or contractual agents with duties of an equivalent level to represent them before the courts mentioned in I.
The Directors of the decentralised departments may designate category A civil servants to represent them before the same courts.