French court dismisses case against former health minister over Covid charges

France's top court on Friday threw out a case against former health minister Agnes Buzyn over her allegedly "endangering the lives of others" by initially downplaying the gravity of Covid-19.

France's former health minister Agnes Buzyn, seen here in January 2020 when she still held the portfolio. Lucas BARIOULET / AFP

The former doctor, who served in cabinet from May 2017 until her resignation for a failed bid to become Paris mayor in February 2020, has always denied the charges.

She is the only ex-official to have been indicted over government mismanagement of the Covid-19 crisis, which the World Health Organization declared a pandemic after she stepped down.

The prosecutor of the Republic's Court of Justice, which investigates alleged wrongdoing by ministers, charged her with "endangering the lives of others" in 2021.

But the country's Court of Cassation on Friday dismissed the charges, saying there was no legal provision to hold her directly responsible.

"The former minister cannot be referred to the Republic's Court of Justice to be tried," it ruled.

Buzyn was not immediately available for comment, and her lawyer did not wish to comment.

In March 2020, President Emmanuel Macron announced that France was "at war" with Covid-19 and placed the country under the first of three lockdowns to halt its spread.

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

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Magistrates of the Republic's Court of Justice (CJR) started investigating mismanagement of the pandemic in July 2020, after receiving complaints, including over a lack of protective gear for healthcare workers and unclear government instructions on whether or not to wear surgical masks.

Edouard Philippe, who was prime minister until July 2020, was investigated but managed to escape charges.

On 30 March 2021, a group of teachers filed a complaint against the Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer, accused of "not protecting staff in contact with children" who "spread the virus" of Covid-19.

To date, according to figures from the national health agency, Santé publique France, the Covid-19 epidemic has caused 163,700 deaths in France.

(with AFP)