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French police searched the home of Health Minister Olivier Véran on Thursday as part of an investigation into the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, his office said.
Véran is one of several current or former ministers being investigated about their response to the pandemic following complaints from Covid-19 victims that they were slow to act to control its spread.
Mr. Véran’s office was also registered as part of the investigation by a court that hears cases of alleged irregularities committed by ministers in the performance of their duties.
The agents also searched the home of the director of the national health agency, Jérôme Salomon.
Prime Minister Jean Castex is also under investigation for the pandemic, as is his predecessor Édouard Philippe and Véran’s predecessor at the health ministry, Agnès Buzyn.
Critics accuse the government of being too slow to implement large-scale Covid-19 tests and downplaying wearing masks at the beginning of the pandemic, when face coverings were in short supply and reserved for healthcare workers.
The European Parliament cancels the Strasbourg session
Meanwhile, the European Parliament will hold next week’s session by videoconference as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus, its president said, despite France’s demand that he return to Strasbourg.
The news comes after French President Emmanuel Macron announced curfews in nine cities to contain an alarming increase in Covid-19 cases, although Strasbourg, in the east of the country, is not affected.
“I regret to announce that next week’s plenary session will not take place in Strasbourg, but will be remote,” David Sassoli, speaker of parliament, wrote on Twitter.
“The situation in France and Belgium is very serious. Traveling is a danger.”
The European Parliament has two bases, most of its work is carried out in Brussels together with the other institutions of the European Union, and 12 one-week sessions in Strasbourg each year.
The costly and time-consuming journey for MEPs and their thousands of employees between the two cities has often been criticized, but France vehemently insists on its right, enshrined in the EU treaty, to host the assembly.
Commission says EU governments are unprepared for a new virus surge
Last month, Macron demanded that parliament return to Strasbourg as soon as possible, saying Europe would be “screwed up” if it met only in Brussels.
Since March, when the pandemic began to take hold in Europe, parliament has met exclusively in Brussels, with many members connecting via video link to allow for social distancing.
Macron will have the opportunity to make his views known to Sassoli face to face today when they meet at an EU summit in Brussels.
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