A French court on Monday dropped an investigation into the government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had targeted three former officials, including former prime minister and 2027 presidential hopeful Édouard Philippe.
The Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) closed the case five years after its launch in July 2020, following complaints alleging the government mishandled the response to the virus—citing, among other issues, shortages of protective equipment and inconsistent guidance on mask-wearing.
At the time, then-prime minister Philippe, former health minister Agnès Buzyn, and her successor Olivier Véran were designated as assisted witnesses - a status in the French legal system that lies between that of a witness and a formal suspect, and implies potential wrongdoing without sufficient evidence for formal charges.
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"The investigative committee of the Court of Justice of the Republic has decided to dismiss the case," Prosecutor General Rémy Heitz said on Monday, without providing further details.
The public prosecutor had already requested the case be dropped in May, effectively ruling out the possibility of a trial.
The CJR is the only court in France authorised to prosecute and try current or former members of government for alleged crimes committed in the course of their official duties.
The investigation found that the government had taken a range of measures to tackle the pandemic, Heitz noted in May. The prosecutor's request—seen by AFP—acknowledged that although those measures were in some respects insufficient, neither Philippe nor Véran had wilfully failed to respond to the crisis.
"Each of them, in their respective roles, took action against the epidemic from the moment it appeared in France," the request stated.
Buzyn faced significant public criticism at the time for stepping down at the outset of the health crisis to run for Mayor of Paris. However, she resigned on 16 February 2020—several days before France officially declared a state of emergency, following the first Covid-19-related death on 25 February, the prosecutor general’s office noted. In hindsight, some observers have questioned whether that criticism was justified.
Buzyn had also been under investigation for endangering the lives of others, but the Court of Cassation dropped that charge in January 2023.
French court dismisses case against former health minister over Covid charges
Philippe clears legal hurdle
Philippe, a widely popular prime minister from 2017 to July 2020, currently serves as mayor of the northern city of Le Havre and leads a centre-right party allied with, though distinct from, President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition. He remains the only major figure to have definitively declared his candidacy for the 2027 presidential election.
The court's ruling may remove a key legal cloud that could have complicated Philippe’s presidential ambitions. As of now, none of the three former officials has issued a public statement in response to the decision.
Public reaction to the dismissal has been mixed. While some see it as a necessary closing of a politically motivated case, others—particularly among victims’ families—have expressed disappointment, arguing that accountability has not been fully served.
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According to France’s public health agency, approximately 168,000 people died from Covid-19 in the country between February 2020 and September 2023, when the World Health Organization declared the global health emergency to be over.
This decision marks a turning point in the legal reckoning over France’s pandemic response, bringing one of the country’s most high-profile inquiries to an official close.
(with newswires)
