PARIS, March 26 (Reuters) – The French State will file a complaint against the group of private nursing homes Orpea and will request the reimbursement of any public grants that may have been misused, the Minister Delegate for Autonomy, Brigitte Bourguignon, announced on Saturday.
“Not only are we filing a complaint, but we are also giving ourselves the right to request the return of public grants that have not been used towards residents as they should be,” she said on France Inter.
The Minister’s announcement comes the day after the reports of the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (IGAS) and the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) were submitted to the government, which report irregular financial practices.
Orpea was accused in the book “Les Fossoyeurs”, published at the end of January, of favoring profitability over the well-being of the elderly.
The group, which denounces and rejects these “allegations”, said it had commissioned audit firms to carry out external evaluation missions.
(Written by Claude Chendjou)