Nobel Santé Dental Network: Executives indicted for suspected health insurance fraud
Three managers of the Nobel Santé dental center network and a pharmacist were indicted on Friday, July 4, in Paris, suspected of being involved in a multi-million euro fraud against the health insurance system.
Two of them, founders of "an accounting firm," were imprisoned Friday evening, according to the prosecution. They are accused of being "at the head of the fraud scheme," the prosecutor assured during their hearings before a liberty and detention judge, which Agence France-Presse (AFP) attended.
Dan L., in his forties, already has "numerous convictions on his criminal record: breach of trust, bankruptcy, illegal practice of the profession of real estate agent..." , she continued. But these date back "more than twenty years," noted his lawyer, Alexis Gublin. The lawyer told AFP that his client disputed the charges.
"I will not leave the country," said another founder, Yoni S., 44, hoping to obtain judicial supervision. His lawyer, Antoine Maisonneuve, emphasized his fragile state of health: "80% disabled" and suffering from "Guillain-Barré syndrome and Crohn's disease."
The wives of these two officials, also suspected, will be brought before the courts in the autumn, sources close to the case told AFP.
Fraud and aggravated money launderingThe two other indicted persons, "an operational director of centers" according to the prosecution and another, "a pharmacist" and brother of Yoni S. according to one of the close sources, were indicted and placed under judicial supervision on Friday.
The prosecution, which was brought after police custody, is part of a judicial investigation opened in April into fraud and aggravated money laundering, all carried out by an organized gang.
"According to a system already observed on several occasions, it was found that the founders of the health centers, falling under the status of associations under the 1901 law, had also created service companies, suppliers to the health centers and thus receiving payments," explained the Paris prosecutor's office.
"Flows of €16,927,000 in favor of these various service providers were observed, from the accounts of eleven of the centers," he continued. "The total loss is estimated at around €5 million over several years. Significant bank seizures were carried out," the public prosecutor stressed.
Before the judge of liberties and detention, the defence of the accused mentioned total seizures of around 7.5 to 9 million euros.
Twelve complaints filed between 2020 and 2023The case began in 2020 with an initial complaint, "denouncing the invoicing of fictitious acts or the modification of the nomenclature of acts in order to obtain more advantageous reimbursements" , according to the prosecution.
In total, twelve complaints were filed between 2020 and 2023, concerning fraud, forgery and use of forged documents, and false declarations with the aim of obtaining or attempting to obtain an undue payment from a social welfare organization. According to one of the sources close to the case, these centers were often located "in medical deserts."
Two searches took place in January 2024 and another a few weeks ago, one of these sources specified. For its part, the Health Insurance had also delisted ten centers in April 2024. The causes, according to the Health Insurance: "fictitious, multiple or inconsistent invoices, [a] failure to comply with good practice guidelines or the conditions of coverage provided for in the nomenclature of technical acts (CCAM), [a] deterioration of healthy teeth" .
The World with AFP
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