Billionaires Come Under Siege in France’s Election Campaign

France’s billionaire Saade family spent more than four decades discreetly building a global shipping empire from their base in the southern city of Marseille. The late founder mostly shirked elite Parisian social circles and the publicity that comes with politics.

But following a few years of unprecedented growth and record profits, the second generation heirs led by the more high-profile scion Rodolphe Saade and the company they control, CMA CGM SA, now find themselves in the national spotlight.

Jacques Saade, Rodolphe Saade and Tanya Saade in Le Havre, France.

Photographer: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

Jordan Bardella, who is set to become prime minister if Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally gains a majority in the ...