00:00French billionaire Olivier Bouygues arrived at court on Monday in the French city of Orleans where he's on trial,
00:07along with five other people, for the illegal hunting of protected species on his private estate in the Salonnier Forest.
00:13The landmark trial is expected to last two days and is unprecedented in French justice.
00:19The investigation alleges that Bouygues' hunting grounds facilitated the illegal targeting of protected bird species,
00:26which include harriers, kestrels, and common buzzards.
00:30The lawsuit, brought forward by the League for the Protection of Birds, or LPO,
00:35is seeking up to seven years in prison and a fine of 750,000 euros.
00:41Bouygues was taken into custody last year after police, acting on an anonymous tip,
00:46executed a search warrant of his hunting grounds where they uncovered mass graves of the protected animals.
00:52They also found weapons on the multi-billionaire's property, which have been outlawed since 1995.
00:58The LPO says the trial should serve as a warning to France's elite and a reminder that they're not above
01:03the law.
