French prosecutors will consider ‘involuntary homicide’ charges against officials as they probe how the state handled the coronavirus crisis
- Remy Heitz is investigating ‘possible criminal offences’ of decision makers
- The head of the Sante Publique France health agency is under investigation
- Possible charges include ‘involuntary homicide’ and ‘endangering life’
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
The chief prosecutor of Paris will consider ‘involuntary homicide’ charges against France’s decision makers as he opens a probe into the state’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
Remy Heitz will use the investigation to consider whether ‘possible criminal offences’ were committed, following a wave of complaints filed by civil groups and members of the public.
France, which has a population of close to 67million, has so far seen just over 29,200 coronavirus deaths.
Despite having a similar population size – around 66.7million – the UK has seen thousands more fatalities, at nearly 40,600.
Chief prosecutor Remy Heitz (above) said the investigation arose from complaints lodged by civil unions and members of the public
President Emmanuel Macron has immunity from prosecution as head of state and is not a target.
Neither are government ministers, who can be held accountable only by the administrative tribunal the Republican Court of Justice, though that tribunal has itself received 80 complaints, Heitz said.
Complaints now under investigation by Heitz include the alleged failure to implement anti-virus protection at the workplace, providing face masks to reduce the risk of infection, and rolling out testing for diagnosing virus carriers.
Possible charges include involuntary homicide, involuntary injury, endangering life, failure to combat a threat and non-assistance to persons in danger, Heitz said.
France has started a gradual lifting of lockdown measures in a bid to restart the economy. But complaints filed to the chief prosecuter have prompted an investigation that will consider whether ‘possible criminal offences’ were committed in the state’s handling of the pandemic
The charges are being examined by a branch of the prosecutor’s office dedicated to alleged threats to public health.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has jurisdiction over national public health issues as well as crimes that allegedly committed within the city’s borders, which is where most state authorities targeted by Heitz’s inquiry are based.
Jérôme Salomon head of the Sante Publique France health agency and an infectious diseases expert, is being investigated in the probe.
He has gained widespread prominence from nightly summaries of the virus’s toll at the height of the outbreak.
His agency will also be a focus of the inquiry, as is the health ministry and the national prison administration.
Jérôme Salomon head of the Sante Publique France health agency and an infectious diseases expert, is being investigated in the probe
Old age homes, many of which are privately operated, are not part of the probe, despite accounting for a huge number of France’s coronavirus deaths.
Heitz said the investigation arose from complaints lodged by associations, labour unions and individuals, but is not aimed at determining ‘political or administrative responsibility’.
He added: ‘If there is criminal wrongdoing, it will probably have been – it’s a hypothesis – unintentional.’