Paris (AFP)
The hunt for fake health passes has increased since the start of the school year, with nearly 350 procedures initiated to date, targeting some 270 caregivers suspected of fraud and 36,000 insured persons suspected of having benefited from it, according to a report presented Thursday by the Health Insurance .
The counter is running quickly: since the end of August, the local health insurance funds have received "between 6 and 10 requisitions" every day from the police and justice services.
"We are always in great demand," noted the director of the national fund (Cnam), Thomas Fatôme, during a press conference.
According to a count stopped Tuesday, the 262 requisitions recorded relate to 14 vaccination centers, 138 health professionals and 35,709 insured.
Added to this are the "litigation follow-up" at the initiative of the local funds, which have launched 83 procedures (complaints, reports to prosecutors or professional orders) targeting 31 caregivers, 23 other people "having contributed to the fraud" and 253 beneficiaries. potentials.
"Obviously the presumption of innocence applies", recalled Mr. Fatôme, specifying that the insured parties are most often "linked to professionals suspected of fraud" and who are the subject of checks on a case-by-case basis. .
The offenses linked to "fraudulent vaccination certificates" are punishable by heavy penalties: up to 5 years' imprisonment and a fine of 150,000 euros for counterfeiters, 3 years and 45,000 euros for users.
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