the criminal trial expected by nearly 2,000 victims will not take place immediately

The Paris Criminal Court on Friday May 19 invalidated the procedure concerning the asbestos health scandal. There will be no immediate criminal trial. According to the franceinfo journalist present on the spot, the court considered that the direct citation procedure launched by the victims contains inaccuracies.

>> “It’s the biggest public health affair in France”: several hundred asbestos victims hoped that a trial would finally be organized

The procedure was launched by nearly 2,000 victims, including rights holders. They want to bring to trial 14 people, former representatives of ministries, business leaders or doctors, who, according to the plaintiffs, deliberately delayed the ban on asbestos.

Asbestos was classified as carcinogenic in 1977 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, but banned in France only 20 years later. This insulating fiber could be responsible for 70 to 100,000 deaths by 2050, according to the High Council for Public Health. According to Michel Parigot, president of the Anti-Asbestos Jussieu committee, invited Friday by franceinfo, Inserm advances the figure of 140 to 180,000 asbestos-related deaths.

Since the end of the 1990s, legal proceedings have multiplied, mostly giving rise to closures without follow-up. Justice has so far considered that it was impossible to prove the link between the illness of employees and the responsibility of companies.