French justice summons former prime minister Edouard Philippe to testify on the management of the pandemic

Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has been summoned to testify next October 24 before the Court of Justice in the framework of an investigation into the management of the coronavirus pandemic as mayor of Le Havre, in Normandy.

The also president of the Horizons party thus risks being charged for having allegedly endangered the lives of third parties by not having ordered protective measures for health personnel and having exposed workers to the virus, as well as not having anticipated the alerts issued by the authorities.

In addition, the French politician will have to give explanations on the holding of the first round of the municipal elections in March 2020 despite the fact that the contagions were increasing, according to information from the newspaper ‘Le Monde’.

“I strongly reject the accusations made against me,” he said over the weekend in an interview with ‘Le Parisien’.

The investigation has been opened after several people filed complaints about the lack of protective measures and guidelines on the use of masks, among other issues.

Since the first complaints were filed, the case has been adding allegations. In October 2020, the Police carried out several searches of the homes and offices of the then Minister of Health, Oliver Véran, and Philippe himself.