The investigation into the government's handling of the Covid-19 epidemic has been closed by the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR), without indictment, Attorney General Remy Heitz told AFP on Monday, confirming a report from Franceinfo.
Following this judicial investigation opened in July 2020 for endangering the lives of others in particular, former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, former Health Minister Agnes Buzyn, and her successor Olivier Veran were placed under the more favorable status of assisting witness.
The absence of an indictment opens the way to a probable dismissal of the case.
"A notice of closure of the investigation was issued on November 28," said Remy Heitz, Attorney General at the Court of Cassation, who serves as the Public Prosecutor at the CJR. "Moreover, no one has been charged to date," he added.
Investigations were opened for endangering the lives of others and willful failure to combat a disaster.
They arose from several complaints denouncing, since the beginning of the lockdown in March 2020 in France, the lack of protective equipment for healthcare workers and the population, and the errors regarding the necessity or not of wearing masks.
Contacted Monday morning, the lawyers of the former ministers did not immediately respond to AFP.
In this historically significant investigation, only Agnes Buzyn was, at one point, charged with endangering the lives of others. She appealed to the Court of Cassation and obtained the cancellation of this indictment.
The CJR is the only court empowered to prosecute and try members of the government—prime ministers, ministers, and secretaries of state—for crimes and offenses committed in the exercise of their functions. This court has experienced a sharp increase in complaints during the Covid-19 epidemic.
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