Nicolas Best, the former director of the Nîmes University Hospital, finally tried for favouritism and passive corruption, his defence denies the offences

Nicolas Best et ses deux avocats à Paris lors du procès en novembre 2023. SAMUEL RIBOT

Nicolas Best avait dénoncé une cabale. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Nicolas Best, the former director of the Nîmes University Hospital, is to be tried in Paris for favouritism and passive corruption based on contracts and works carried out at the Nîmes hospital and Annecy between 2015 and 2020. In November 2023, the trial was postponed after priority questions of constitutionality were raised by the defence. Finally, the trial is to take place from 26 August to 2 September. The defence is showing its fighting spirit.

The trial of the former director of the Nîmes hospital is set to begin next week in Paris. The charges include: ? Passive corruption backed by favoritism against the backdrop of work carried out at the Annecy and Nîmes University Hospitals for acts between 2015 and 2020.

The investigation by the national financial prosecutor's office had led to the referral to criminal court of the former director of the Nîmes University Hospital. The trial had begun in November 2023. But the defense lawyers (My Expert and Barnier) had raised nullities and priority questions of constitutionality (QPC). Which had led to the trial being postponed. The Paris judicial court had forwarded the QPC to the Court of Cassation, which had rejected them. Thus, after an initial postponement, Nicolas Best's trial should normally be held in Paris on August 26, 28 and 29 and September 2.

The case had emerged publicly in the Gard by a vast judicial police operation (revealed by Midi libre on February 11, 2022) in particular by the financial brigade (Lyon and Montpellier) which had launched a series of searches at the Nîmes home of Nicolas Best, in his offices at the CHU and in another home located in the Lyon region.

“Neither received nor concealed any sum whatsoever” : Me Expert, defense lawyer

The investigations concerned suspicions of violations of public procurement contracts that he validated while he was director of the Annecy-Genevois hospital center (CHANGE). The national financial prosecutor's office (PNF) had supervised the investigation which carried out checks on both work carried out in Haute-Savoie and in Gard on the site of the Nîmes University Hospital. Ultimately Nicolas Best must appear for suspicions of violations of public procurement rules. He must answer for favoritism and passive corruption. Throughout the case, the former hospital director had proclaimed his innocence, denying that he had received a single cent in this matter.

The defense of the former head of the CHU, contacted this Friday, August 23, stated that “Nicolas Best feels a deep sense of injustice and an attack on the presumption of innocence in this investigation conducted exclusively by the  PNF". Me Philippe Expert continues : “It has been demonstrated by the investigations that he neither received nor concealed any sum whatsoever. This whole affair stems from what our client considers to be a cabal of which he was the target in Annecy where he positively transformed, but sometimes to the displeasure of others, the hospital he managed”. The defense also indicated that nullities would be raised again at the hearing while insisting on the fact that “Nicolas Best was never heard on the merits of this affair”. The defense also insisted on the support that Mr. Best had been able to benefit from in Nîmes through motions from the medical commission of the establishment. The former director of the Nîmes University Hospital had his duties as director removed by decree in the middle of the trial. He had deplored this removal of duties.

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