The Center for the donation of bodies to science, at the heart of a scandal since revelations about the conditions of conservation of bodies, was the subject of a burglary, we learned on Thursday 27 February from a judicial source. A complaint was filed by the Paris-Descartes University, on which the center depends, for " theft " and " unauthorized intrusion into a data system ", according to this source.
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The burglary is said to have taken place at night and archive boxes, particularly from 2002, 2009 and 2016, were reportedly taken. The complaint was sent to the prosecution at the end of January. The investigations were joined to the preliminary investigation opened at the end of November after revelations of the Express which denounced the “ indecent conditions ” of conservation of the remains of “ thousands of people who donated their bodies to science ”, indicated the judicial source.
" What has been done with him?" "
The Center for the Donation of Bodies to Science has been the subject of an administrative closure since these revelations and 24 families of people who donated their bodies have filed a complaint for " attack on the integrity of a corpse " at the prosecution from Paris and a dozen others should follow. A part of these families were gathered Thursday in front of the faculty of medicine of the University Paris-Descartes, waving, in silence, placards with the photo of their deceased relatives and asking " What did we do with him?" ".
" The families are now awaiting the opening of a judicial inquiry ", which would allow an investigating judge to carry out the investigations, said Mr. Frédéric Douchez, lawyer for the families who filed the complaint. " They don't understand that it hasn't already been done ."
" We want Frédéric Dardel (former President of the University and current advisor to the Minister of Higher Education and Research, Frédérique Vidal) and Professor Guy Vallancien to answer for their actions before the courts, " explained Baudouin Auffret , one of the members of the Collective " Close to the victims of the center for the donation of bodies to science ".
" It's necro-traffic "
According to the Express, Mr. Vallancien, former doctor of François Mitterrand and project manager with several health ministers, set up in 2001 within the University, a public limited company - the European School of Surgery -, which resold bodies in particular to manufacturers for their own tests, such as automobile crash tests.
" It's necro-trafficking, " said Jean-Jacques Guinchard, whose father and mother donated their bodies in 2015 and 2017. " Ultimately, it would be normal for the donor to check boxes to tell what uses of his body he is ready ”, he judged.
After the rally, the president of the University of Paris (resulting from the merger on January 1 between Paris-Descartes and Paris-Diderot) received members of the collective.
" I will personally ensure that the services of the University of Paris participate in ongoing investigations, administrative and judicial, so that all the light is shed on this file ", said Christine Clerici, quoted in a press release, ensuring to share their indignation .
" Today, we finally have an interlocutor, " greeted AFP Me Douchez.