The chief executive of a company operating 350 retirement homes in France has been sacked following allegations of patient abuse and staff negligence. The French government has summoned another executive to explain the company's policies on hygiene and food supplies, as well as its "financial practices".
Yves Le Masne, the boss of retirement and nursing home operator Orpea, was removed from his post on Sunday "with immediate effect". The reasons for his dismissal were not specified.
The homes came under scrutiny following the publication of a book "The Gravediggers" by independent journalist Victor Castanet, which cites employees and relatives claiming that residents are at times left for hours with soiled underwear or go days without care as managers seek to maximise profit margins.
The scandal has drawn widespread condemnation from officials and calls for inspections of the upscale Orpea homes by the authorities.
Rooms in Orpea-run establishments can cost up to 6,500 euros per month.
The company, which has seen its market value cut in half on the Paris stock exchange since the scandal broke, has contested the claims as "untruthful, scandalous and injurious", but said it had asked two independent firms to evaluate them.
The lawyer Sarah Saldmann said on Monday she would be filing a joint legal complaint on behalf of family members against the group in March.
Company denies bribery claim
It also denied a claim by Castanet that he was offered 15 million euros by an "intermediary" to drop his investigation.
"The board of directors of the Orpea group, meeting on 30 January 2022, decided to end the service of Yves Le Masne," the company said in the statement.
The company's non-executive chairman would become chairman and CEO with immediate effect, it added.
Orpea operates nearly 1,200 homes worldwide, with around 350 of them in France.
Jean-Christophe Romersi, the group's managing director for France, has been called by the minister with responsibility for the elderly, Brigitte Bourguignon, to appear on 1 February over the "grave accusations".
"It will be the chance to hear Orpea's explanations on several matters, which will be the focus of in-depth inquiries by state authorities," Bourguignon said in a letter to Romersi.
Separate inquiry into employment policy
Orpea is also at the centre of another investigation into the use of "irregular employment contracts" at its homes in France.
According to information uncovered by Investigate Europe and the news site Mediapart, "recruits have to sign fixed-term contracts that indicate that they are replacing employees with permanent contracts".
Researchers found that, in many cases, these permanent employees did not exist.
When questioned, Orpea denied any irregularity, stating there had "never been any fictitious employment within the company".
