Coronavirus: France to launch inquiry into ex-PM and ministers over handling of crisis
- Edouard Philippe was just replaced on Friday in first stage of major government reshuffle
- He and two health ministers are accused of neglecting their duties during Covid-19 pandemic
A French court will open an inquiry into former prime minister Edouard Philippe and two cabinet ministers over their handling of the coronavirus crisis, a prosecutor said on Friday.
The inquiry will be led by the Law Court of the Republic (CJR), which deals with claims of ministerial misconduct, said senior prosecutor Francois Molins.
Along with Philippe, who was replaced on Friday in the first stage of a government reshuffle, the ministers under investigation are former health minister Agnes Buzyn – who stepped down in February for an unsuccessful bid to become mayor of Paris – and her successor Olivier Veran.
Veran was health minister during the peak of the crisis. It is not clear if he will keep his job in the reshuffle expected to be finalised in the coming days.
The CJR has received 90 complaints and examined 53 of them. It considered nine complaints admissible, which will form the basis of the inquiry.