An investigation has been opened to shed light on the financial management of Cosem, an association bringing together around fifteen health centers and financed by public funds, the Paris prosecutor’s office reported on Tuesday May 9 when contacted by Agence France-Presse (AFP). ). The investigations were entrusted to the brigade for the repression of economic crime, confirmed the prosecution. The case was revealed by The world and by French Radio.
In April, two reports were sent to the courts. A first, on April 7, by the primary health insurance fund of Paris, which claimed to have been alerted about a “suspicion of fraud”. Another, on April 17, by elected members of the social and economic committee (CSE) of Cosem, who denounced facts that could be qualified as breach of trust, illegal taking of interest, Social Security fraud and moral harassment, according to their lawyer, Jérôme Karsenti.
Asked by AFP after the issuance of these reports, the management refused to comment, ensuring that the Cosem “has always complied with all of its legal and regulatory obligations”. The Cosem “provides quality care to the poorest under the permanent control of its supervisory authorities”she insisted.
Exorbitant salaries
The non-profit health association Coordination of Social and Medical Works (Cosem), which employs 1,400 people, is financed by public funds – reimbursements from Social Security and subsidies. This structure is managed by a father, managing director since 2010, and his two sons.
The elected representatives of the CSE suspect the family of impoverishing Cosem and fear the consequences on jobs. They denounce the exorbitant salaries paid to the father and his sons, fictitious jobs for their wives and disproportionate expense reports – more than 285,000 euros for three people in 2021.
The Cosem, created in 1945, claims two million medical and dental consultations per year provided by 700 practitioners in about fifteen centers in Île-de-France and in the provinces, according to its website.