Former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe is to testify on October 24 after complaints from professions and individuals at the executive branch
Former French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe is to testify on October 24 before the Commission of Inquiry of the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) into the alleged mismanagement of the Covid-19 health crisis by the French government. This body is solely charged with assessing the members of the Executive for delinquent or criminal offenses in the course of their duties.
After hearing his statement, the judges will have to decide whether to charge the former prime minister for controlling the pandemic or grant him “assisted witness” status, a legal figure that would mean he won’t be charged with any crime. accused, as they have done. not found enough evidence against him. , but that leaves the door open for a later accusation.
Philippe, who was Prime Minister of France between May 2017 and July 2020, denied in an interview published Sunday by the newspaper ‘Le Parisien’ the crimes he is accused of in managing the health crisis.
The Court of Justice of the Republic has received several complaints about the lack of anticipation of the French government and the alleged mismanagement of the health emergency, both by individuals and by professional groups, such as doctors, trade unions or victims’ associations. For example, they denounced the lack of masks for the general population at the start of the pandemic, the lack of adequate protective equipment for health personnel or the poor management of the crisis in nursing homes, which caused thousands of deaths.
The French judiciary opened a judicial investigation in July 2020 against several members of the French government for “endangering the lives of others” and for “voluntary abstention from fighting an incident”.
In October 2020, French police searched Philippe’s office and home, as well as that of the former Minister of Health, Agnès Buzyn; from Olivier Véran, his successor in the post, and from other members of the government and senior French officials involved in managing the pandemic.
Philippe, who is currently mayor of Le Havre (Normandy), is not the only former member of the French government to be questioned about his management of the health crisis. In September 2021, Agnès Buzyn was indicted by the Court of Justice of the Republic for allegedly “endangering the lives of others” during the pandemic.
Olivier Véran, the current spokesman for the French government, has not yet been called to testify before the Court of Justice of the Republic, nor has he been charged with the Covid-19 crisis, which has caused more than 152,000 deaths in the country. The president, Emmanuel Macron, will also not be affected by the complaints about the containment of the pandemic, as he enjoys immunity for the entire duration of his mandate.
Despite leaving the frontline of national politics, Philippe remains a very popular politician in France and makes no secret of his presidential ambitions. Two other men are also preparing behind the scenes to fight for the keys to the Elysée Palace in 2027: Bruno Le Maire, the current Minister of the Economy, and Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior.
Macron will not be able to stand for re-election, as the French constitution forbids this. A president can only serve two consecutive five-year terms in the Gallic country.
The French government intervened today to try to end chaos at French gas stations, which have been hit by strikes across the country at TotalEnergies and Esso-ExxonMobil refineries and fuel depots that have led to long lines at gas stations to refuel or even the closure of some buildings due to lack of fuel. Faced with this situation, the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, ordered the forced reopening of two fuel depots of the Esso-ExxonMobil group that were on strike and the return to their posts of “indispensable personnel” for their operation. On Monday, a wage agreement was signed by two union organizations, the majority at the level of this group, but not of its refineries.
“I am concerned about the situation of millions of our compatriots who cannot fill the tank. Blocking the country is never a way forward,” Borne said. 31.3% of gas stations are experiencing fuel shortages, although they are already 44% in Paris and the surrounding area, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
The strike at Esso-ExxonMobil began on September 20 and at TotalEnergies on September 27. The unions are demanding a 10% salary increase to restore the loss of purchasing power caused by inflation and to take into account the exceptional benefits of the oil companies as a result of the energy crisis that Europe is experiencing as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Source: La Verdad
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