The Nantes prosecutor's office indicated that an investigation was opened after "acts of intimidation" against Professor Didier Raoult, who advocates a treatment based on chloroquine against the coronavirus. These threats were allegedly made over the telephone.

An investigation was opened following "acts of intimidation" targeting Marseille doctor Didier Raoult, whose recommendations for a chloroquine treatment of Covid-19 patients are controversial, AFP said on Thursday the parquet floor of Nantes.

>> Coronavirus: follow live developments

Investigation for "intimidation"

"An investigation is underway for acts of intimidation but not death threats," said Pierre Sennès, prosecutor of the Republic of Nantes. He indicated that the parquet floor of Nantes had been seized because the origin of the telephone call aiming the director of the hospital-university institute (IHU) Mediterranean is in Nantes. Initially opened by the Marseille prosecution, the investigation "was sent to the public prosecutor of Nantes, because of the domicile of the alleged perpetrator," the Marseille prosecutor had told AFP earlier Dominique Laurens, confirming information from the newspaper La Provence.

>> PODCAST - Coronavirus: find all the answers to your questions here

Threats in early March

According to La Provence , this investigation was opened following threats received by Professor Raoult on March 1 and 2. The telephone used could be that of a doctor from the Nantes University Hospital, according to Le Canard Enchaîné in its weekly edition. The Marseille infectiologist could not be reached directly on Thursday. Questioned by AFP, the IHU Mediterranean infection indicated "not to comment on a procedure in progress".

Jean-Luc Mélenchon defends

The number one of the Insoumis, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, took on Thursday the defense of Didier Raoult against the "beautiful people", in a blog entirely devoted to the professor of medicine of Marseille. "The painting made by this professor, presented as a rude and provocative savage, obviously hit me in the nose", because "I know all too well the smell of painting that good society has, its media and its feathers to pledge ", writes the MP for Marseille.

According to him, "Didier Raoult is too unloved by beautiful people not to arouse interest. Especially when it comes from the friends of Madame Agnès Buzyn. She is the woman who knew and who lied," adds he, alluding to the former Minister of Health and LREM candidate for mayor of Paris, who said that he had warned the president and his Prime Minister in January of the pandemic to come.