Sky ECC: French supreme court identifies Paris as the proper court for Lithuanian evidence challenge
France’s Court of Cassation annulled a Douai decision on 31 March 2026 concerning a challenge to French investigative acts involving Sky ECC data. It held that the Paris investigating chamber had jurisdiction because a Paris investigating judge executed the Lithuanian investigation orders.
A man prosecuted in Lithuania asked the Douai investigating chamber on 13 September 2024 to annul procedural documents. He said the prosecution relied on Sky ECC data collected in France. French investigators extracted data under instructions from a Paris investigating judge executing Lithuanian European Investigation Orders dated 16 July 2021 and 27 September 2023.
The president of the Douai chamber ruled his request inadmissible on 7 November 2024. On appeal, the Court of Cassation first addressed jurisdiction. Challenges to French execution of a European Investigation Order belong before the investigating chamber covering the executing judge’s district. Here, that meant Paris.
The court annulled the Douai decision in its entirety, declared the chamber lacked jurisdiction and ordered no remittal. Judgment 25-81.854 therefore determines the proper court; it does not assess the lawfulness of the Sky ECC data itself.
