A former collaborator of the Minister of Health Olivier Véran tried, in vain, to touch a commission by placing near the ministry an offer of masks FFP2, in mid-March, in full shortage of masks of protection against the epidemic of coronavirus , Mediapart revealed on Saturday 9 May.
This ex-collaborator, Tewfik Derbal, who then became collaborator of a LREM deputy, Emilie Chalas, " confirmed " to the latter the facts reported by the information site, and resigned from his post on Friday, specifies in a press release the deputy of Isère. She adds that she " ignored everything " about these " facts and behaviors ", which she " condemns with the utmost firmness ".
For his part, Olivier Véran replied to the daily Le Dauphiné Libéré that " this story " does not " concern him ". “ During the first weeks, the ministry received hundreds of offers of masks, by every conceivable channel. So much so that the crisis unit has dedicated a team to examining these offers. The overwhelming majority was, unfortunately, bogus. I imagine that of Tewfik Derbal was too, since no follow-up was given to it, "he argues.
Questioned by AFP, the Ministry of Health declined to comment.
According to Mediapart, the former parliamentary assistant of Olivier Véran (ex-deputy of Isère) sought, in mid-March, to position an offer of FFP2 masks with the Ministry of Health. These masks in large quantities - at least a million - were offered by a French import-export company with China, to whom " several countries " had expressed their interest, " except France ", according to the daily.
According to messages produced by Mediapart, the company then contacted Tewfik Derbal, who claimed to be " in touch " with the Ministry of Health, and claimed a commission as " business provider ": a certain percentage of the price on each mask sold. A contract is signed between the two parties, but " the transaction will never take place ", and " Tewfik Derbal will never finalize the order of the State ", adds the newspaper.
