Acting Health Minister Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, who was accused of illegal gifts as part of her job as a pharmacist, refuted everything to Agence France-Presse (AFP). “Conflict of Interest” Sunday December 31st, on the sidelines of a visit to the Rouen University Hospital. “I am very calm about the matter you are referring to”said M.Me Firmin Le Bodo.
The minister is the subject of a judicial investigation because, as a pharmacist in Le Havre, she received gifts from Urgo laboratories, which were allegedly offered to her between 2015 and 2020 with a total value of 20,000 euros Media sectionwho revealed the affair on December 21st.
“Like 8,000 of my former colleagues, I am being questioned in the so-called Urgo affair. I prefer to respond to the relevant authorities on the matter, social networks are not the judges.”, she continued. For the Minister on this matter “There is no conflict of interest, no material benefit, no gift, commercial negotiations are taking place.”. Has she considered resigning after these revelations? ” Perhaps “She replied before repeating his “very calm about the matter”.
Urgo imposed a fine of more than one million euros
The gifts were offered by Urgo in exchange for the pharmacist’s waiver of a commercial discount from the laboratory to the pharmacy: this banned practice affected a large number of pharmacists and the laboratory was fined 1.125 million euros in January 2023 – including 625,000 Euro suspended – by the Dijon Criminal Court following an investigation by the Anti-Fraud Agency (DGCCRF).
According to professional sources consulted by AFP, the DGCCRF is investigating all pharmacists who accepted these gifts (watches, magnum bottles of champagne, cast-iron casserole dish, weekend cans, etc.). Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, until then deputy minister of territorial organization and health professions, was appointed interim minister of health on December 20 the resignation of Aurélien Rousseau due to disagreement over immigration law.
The minister also described it “sterile” the controversy surrounding the appeal for donations to purchase a scanner for the Pompidou Hospital in Paris. “Since 2015 there has been a foundation at the Pompidou Hospital that regularly calls for donations”she remembered. “It’s a system that works well. This makes it possible to support the strong investments of Paris hospitals (…) The state is not withdrawing, quite the opposite.”assured MMe Firmin Le Bodo.
