Thousands of complaints lodged over French government’s handling of Covid crisis

France's Court of Justice has received “thousands of complaints” against government ministers over alleged mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Attorney General at the Court of Cassation said Sunday.

Some people in France reckon the government has gone too far with the health pass. Others think it hasn't done enough to protect its citizens and have lodged thousands of complaints for negligence. AP - Bob Edme

In May last year, French families who had lost loved ones to the coronavirus questioned the government’s legal responsibility in court.

63 complaints were filed against officials including including former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Health Minister Olivier Véran, for failure to protect the public.

A French senator representing French people abroad told RFI at the time that the complaints would stack up. And they have.

"Thousands of complaints are coming in," Attorney General François Molins said in an interview with LCI television on Sunday.

"It’s a new phenomenon, certainly due to the development of communication methods and the Internet, which affects the Court of Justice of the Republic,” he said.

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The Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) is the only court with the power to prosecute and judge prime ministers, ministers and secretaries of state for crimes and offences committed "in the exercise of their duties".

Plaintiffs in this case are individuals, doctors, unions and workers’ organisations, all of whom claim the government has shown negligence in dealing with the health crisis.

The CJR now has to examine whether or not their complaints are admissible.

Endangering life

Since July 2020, the CJR has been conducting an investigation into former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, former Health Minister Agnès Buzyn and her successor Olivier Véran, for their management of the Covid-19 pandemic.

They face potential charges of manslaughter, endangering life, involuntary injury, failing to assist a person in danger and failing to take timely action to contain the epidemic.

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In March this year a teachers’ collective filed a complaint against education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer for “endangering lives". He is accused of failing to protect staff in close contact with children “who spread the virus".

In November 2020, the CJR dismissed a complaint by an association of victims of Covid-19 levelled against Prime Minister Jean Castex.

A controversial court

The CJR, both a political and judicial court, has come under criticism.

In October 2020 an official search of offices and homes of Olivier Veran and Edouard Philippe provoked strong reaction.

The current Justice Minister Eric Dupont-Moretti, who has also been investigated by the CJR, is among those claming the court's powers are excessive.

When, in July,  the court opened an investigation into "failure to combat a disaster" some insisted it was adding an obstacle to managing the crisis.

But Molins said the court  was "carrying out what it was designed to do, in pursuing alleged infractions by ministers during the exercising of their duties, even if that was part of a political policy".

He admitted, however, that there could be fundamental problems.

“There are projects underway to reform the CJR," he said. "If there is a problem, then the model must evolve.”

In April 2020 President Emmanuel Macron admitted during a televised address that the country had not been sufficiently prepared for the pandemic and that the government had made mistakes, notably in relation to distributing masks and protective gear to health workers.

As France’s head of state, Macron enjoys immunity from prosecution.