French justice is prosecuting former health minister Buzyn for her approach to the corona pandemic, shortly after the outbreak at the beginning of last year. She is accused of endangering the lives of others.
Against Agnès Buzyn and other politicians and top officials has been running for some time an investigation. They would have reacted too slowly to the corona outbreak at the beginning of last year, which would have led to a shortage of protective equipment, among other things.
Buzyn said in late January 2020, in response to the lockdown in the Chinese city of Wuhan, that the risk of spreading in France was very small. There were three confirmed cases in that country at the time, but that quickly changed.
The case against 58-year-old Buzyn is being heard by a court that is specially set up for ministerial crimes of office. The prosecutor announced this week that 14,500 complaints have been received there, including from (former) covid patients and doctors.
‘I will not let our work be tarnished’
The announcement that Buzyn is being charged follows a nine-hour interrogation in court. On arrival this morning, she told reporters that she would defend herself with all her might against any accusation. “I will not let the actions of the government tarnish while we have done so much to prepare our country for a global health crisis.”
Buzyn resigned as minister in mid-February last year and she subsequently made a futile bid for the mayoralty of Paris. She was succeeded as minister by Olivier Véran, who is still in office. He is also expected to appear in court soon.
Clara Bouaziz is one of the French who filed a complaint. Her father died last year after he became infected with corona. She thinks the hospital deliberately didn’t treat him:
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