Two years to the day after the publication of an investigative book denouncing numerous abuses at Orpea, the Nanterre prosecutor’s office indicated that it had carried out searches in mid-January as part of an investigation into suspicions of financial offenses targeting the group of private nursing homes. These operations, carried out simultaneously in Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg, Switzerland and France, are part of one of the judicial investigations relating to the financial aspect targeting the group opened by the Nanterre public prosecutor’s office on June 29, this source indicated this Friday.
Hearings were also conducted by the four investigating judges seized of the case at the Nanterre Judicial Court. This investigation has been opened in particular for charges of aggravated breach of trust, aggravated misuse of company assets and aggravated money laundering. The Orpea group confirmed that searches had taken place “following complaints that the group filed” after the outbreak of the scandal, “against X” initially, then “by name” against former former leaders. “The group is fully cooperating with the justice system,” added an Orpea spokesperson, without giving further details on the locations where the searches took place.
One investigation among others
These operations constitute new progress in the multiple lawsuits targeting the group which manages 350 establishments in France, in turmoil since the publication on January 26, 2022 of an investigative book, The Gravediggers, written by journalist Victor Castanet. He denounces mistreatment of residents, misuse of public funds and shortcomings in staff management. As part of this financial investigation, three former managers of the group were indicted. A rare occurrence in this type of financial case, two of them were placed in pre-trial detention on the same day.
Placed under the control of the Caisse des Dépôts after the scandal arising from the practices of its former management, the Orpea group is also accused of institutional mistreatment after a report from the government and around fifty complaints received from April 2022. This This report followed a joint report from the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) and the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (Igas) which noted in particular an insufficiency in the “weights” of meals served to elderly people in the group’s establishments. .
Prosecutions were initiated and a judicial investigation against Two other preliminary investigations are underway in connection with Orpea: one for violations of labor legislation and the other for embezzlement of public funds. At the end of June 2022, a complaint was also filed by the CGT Federation of Health and Social Action against the group for non-compliance with labor law in the union field.