AMTD, Owner of L'Officiel and AMTD IDEA Brands, Launches Litigation against Jalou Family for Malicious Falsehood, Defamation, and Consequential Loss and Damage

PARIS, LONDON and NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AMTD Group Inc. ("AMTD Group"), AMTD IDEA Group (NYSE: AMTD; SGX: HKB), AMTD Digital Inc. (NYSE: HKD) and The Generation Essentials Group ("TGE", NYSE: TGE; LSE: TGE), a subsidiary of AMTD Digital Inc., jointly announce that AMTD IDEA Group has commenced legal action against Mr Benjamin Eymere of the Jalou Family, in connection with serious defamatory action against the Group, as well as misconduct including bad faith harassment of the Group's staff and executives.

Mr Eymere was a former employee of a subsidiary of the Group, and he was summarily dismissed due to his misconduct and mismanagement. He attempted to file an appeal in the Paris Court, but his actions have been continuously dismissed.

Moreover, Mr Eymere's recent actions involving misconduct and bad faith have required AMTD to take legal actions, importantly to correct baseless allegations and misstatements in relation to the Group's L'Officiel and AMTD IDEA brands, which have been recently mentioned in certain press and social media publications. 

AMTD has already made formal reports to law enforcement authorities in connection with Mr Eymere's present and past misconduct. 

AMTD firmly believes that the rule of law and fairness and justice will prevail, and looks forward to correcting and dispelling any slander or defamatory statements which might have been made against it.

On an overall basis, we take the opportunity to highlight certain evident inaccuracies in certain press and social media induced by Mr Eymere and/or the Jalou family:

1) The Duly Completed Acquisition of 100% of L'Officiel in 2022 : The L'Officiel Brand was acquired in 2022 primarily from Gem Global Yield LLC SCS (GGY), which is part of Global Emerging Markets (GEM), a $3.4 billion alternative investment group, focusing on emerging markets with diverse investment vehicles like management buyouts, PIPE's (Private Investments in Public Equities), and venture investments (see official announcements by GEM as lead seller https://www.gemny.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/GEM-AMTD-PRESS-RELEASE-from-Paris-France-FINAL-Version.pdf and AMTD as the buyer https://ir.amtdinc.com/press-releases/news-details/2022/AMTD-International-Acquires-Global-Fashion-Media-Group-LOfficiel-Inc-SAS/default.aspx, in which both sides confirm that the AMTD acquisition has been completed with 100% of purchase price duly paid).

2) Since the AMTD's acquisition as a "white knight" investor, L'Officiel has not incurred any debt or engaged in liabilities for business, and L'Officiel nowadays is financially strong with solid equity base

3) The controlling shareholder from which AMTD acquired the business was GEM, not the Jalou family, nor Mr Eymere. The Jalou family was not a controller nor a majority shareholder in L'Officiel at the time of acquisition.

AMTD would also strongly emphasize that it will tirelessly prosecute and continue legal action against any wrongdoers which seek to harm its reputation and breach the law. We are confident that our perseverance and commitment will inevitably bring justice and fairness, without reservations.

About AMTD Group

AMTD Group is a conglomerate with a core business portfolio spanning across media and entertainment, education and training, and premium assets and hospitality sectors.

About AMTD IDEA Group

AMTD IDEA Group (NYSE: AMTD; SGX: HKB) represents a diversified institution and digital solutions group connecting companies and investors with global markets. Its comprehensive one-stop business services plus digital solutions platform addresses different clients' diverse and inter-connected business needs and digital requirements across all phases of their life cycles. AMTD IDEA Group is uniquely positioned as an active super connector between clients, business partners, investee companies, and investors, connecting the East and the West. For more information, please visit www.amtdinc.com or follow us on X (formerly known as "Twitter") at @AMTDGroup.

About AMTD Digital Inc.

AMTD Digital Inc. (NYSE: HKD) is a comprehensive digital solutions platform headquartered in France. Its one-stop digital solutions platform operates key business lines including digital media, content and marketing services, investments as well as hospitality and VIP services. For AMTD Digital's announcements, please visit https://ir.amtdigital.net/investor-news.

About The Generation Essentials Group

The Generation Essentials Group (NYSE: TGE; LSE: TGE), jointly established by AMTD Group, AMTD IDEA Group (NYSE: AMTD; SGX: HKB) and AMTD Digital Inc. (NYSE: HKD), is headquartered in France and focuses on global strategies and developments in multi-media, entertainment, and cultural affairs worldwide as well as hospitality and VIP services. TGE comprises L'Officiel, The Art Newspaper, movie and entertainment projects. Collectively, TGE is a diversified portfolio of media and entertainment businesses, and a global portfolio of premium properties. Also, TGE is a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsor manager, with its first SPAC successfully raised and priced on December 18, 2025.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor"provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects,""anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes,""estimates," "likely to," and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the beliefs, plans, and expectations of AMTD IDEA Group, AMTD Digital and/or The Generation Essentials Group, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the filings of AMTD IDEA Group, AMTD Digital and The Generation Essentials Group with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and none of AMTD IDEA Group, AMTD Digital and The Generation Essentials Group undertakes any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.