It is a large-scale judicial operation that started early this morning as part of the preliminary investigations opened by the Nanterre prosecutor's office (Hauts-de-Seine) on the private group Orpea.
At the heart of the storm, the giant of retirement homes is suspected in particular of institutional mistreatment and embezzlement of public funds, in its management of nursing homes, since the publication at the end of January, at Fayard, of the book-investigation by Victor Castanet,
Les Fossoyeurs
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According to our information, around 200 gendarmes took over the group's head office in Puteaux (Nanterre) early this morning, as well as around twenty of the group's regional offices throughout France.
These searches are coordinated by the investigators of the research section of Versailles, in charge of the direction of the investigations.
The Nanterre public prosecutor's office has launched several investigations in recent months.
A first relating to suspicions of "forgery and use of forgery", and "breach of labor legislation by abusively resorting to fixed-term contracts", had been opened in February Following a report from the government, it was extended to suspicions of embezzlement of public funds and institutional mistreatment.
Read alsoThe former general manager of Orpea heard by the gendarmes
The first part concerns the health situation in establishments.
It was opened after the administrative investigation by the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (Igas), which notably "showed that the weights used by the cooks of the Orpea nursing homes are significantly below" the references established for the food of seniors.
She also highlighted the regular absence of "night snack" and "night fasting times longer than the recommended ceiling of twelve hours".
Several hearings have already been conducted
Elements which, like the rationing of diapers for residents of nursing homes, had been widely documented by Victor Castanet in his book "Les Fossoyeurs".
About fifty complaints relating to possible situations of mistreatment were received in this context by the Nanterre public prosecutor's office.
It now remains for the gendarmes to qualify these facts and to establish the existence, or not, of an organized system of mistreatment aimed at saving money.
The other question of justice and investigators concerns the financial functioning of the Orpea group.
Based on a report from the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF), justice wonders if the group would not have issued insincere hiring statements to obtain reimbursements with public funds.
In his book, Victor Castanet also mentioned the existence of a system of strange discounts demanded by Orpea from its suppliers.
Elements that are also of interest to investigators.
According to our information, several hearings have already been conducted by investigators in recent weeks and the investigations carried out under the authority of the Nanterre prosecutor's office.
The gendarmes intend this Wednesday morning to seize documents and computers to support the suspicions.
In addition, the courts opened a preliminary investigation in mid-May following a complaint for "misuse of corporate assets" filed by Orpea.
This complaint concerns "past transactions - unrelated to the conditions of reception and care of residents - likely to raise questions with regard to the social interest of Orpea and discovered following internal investigations", had explained the band on May 2.
In a completely different aspect, the former director general of Orpea, Yves Le Masne, was heard on Tuesday in an open hearing at the Paris research section for acts of insider trading, as part of a third investigation. separate procedure opened by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office.
The former boss of retirement homes is suspected of having sold for more than 900,000 euros of action when he learned of the release of the book investigating the chaotic management of his group.
He has since been fired.
