ORPEA: Prendre Soin Des Personnes Ou Soigner Ses Profits?
CICTAR has worked with France’s two largest unions Fédération CFDT Santé-Sociaux and Fédération Santé Action Sociale CGT, to develop our latest report.
The report, which can be read below in both French and English, examines how Europe’s largest care home operator, Groupe ORPEA has been building a property empire, through complex and opaque structures, while facing allegations of understaffing, diversion of public funds, and the rationing of food and sanitary items. Our research reveals Group’s 40 Luxembourg subsidiaries used to expand a European property portfolio. In one case, the beneficiaries of an ORPEA property acquisition in France remain hidden behind two shell companies in Panama and the British Virgin Islands.
CICTAR, CFDT and CGT make no allegations that ORPEA acted unlawfully. But the three organisations demand an immediate review of ORPEA’s finances and operational performance, greater financial transparency and accountability across the sector, particularly in relation to public funds, and guarantees of worker’s rights and whistle-blower protection for front-line care staff.
We put a list of questions to ORPEA inviting them to respond to the allegations in this report, but at the time of finalizing this report, the company had not provided us with a response. If we receive a response from ORPEA, we will publish it here, alongside the report itself.