Doctors banned in France continued practicing in Belgium despite misconduct records, investigation finds

Doctors banned in France continued practicing in Belgium despite misconduct records, investigation finds

08 мая 2026 г.

Olga Filimonova

An investigation by OCCRP and partners exposed how doctors who were barred from practicing in one country, but were able to hold licenses elsewhere. Now, reporters have discovered four more doctors who were sanctioned in France and practiced in Belgium.

After a cardiologist was convicted of sexually assaulting his patients in France, he was stripped of his medical license and forbidden to practice in the country. So he hopped across the border to Belgium and obtained a new license there.

The Belgian hospital was not aware of the 65-year-old cardiologist’s April 2024 conviction until contacted by reporters, according to an investigation published today by De Tijd, Le Monde and France Television.

"The hospital had no legal basis, or any indication whatsoever, that would allow it to identify or suspect such a situation," said Céline Barcham, a spokesperson for Iris Hospitals South.

She added that the Brussels-based hospital group had followed procedures by verifying his license with Belgium’s Federal Public Service Public Health and the Order of Physicians.

After being informed of the cardiologist’s history, the hospital group confirmed it with French authorities and terminated his employment, which had lasted about a week in March 2026.

The French cardiologist is only the latest discovery of a doctor jumping jurisdictions after losing a license. In the Bad Practice project, OCCRP and media partners identified more than 100 doctors who lost their licenses for serious wrongdoing in one jurisdiction, but held or obtained a license in another.

The project exposed serious flaws in Europe’s Internal Market Information System (IMI), which notifies member states of the status of a doctor’s license. 

Aside from the cardiologist, reporters have now confirmed three more doctors banned in France and practicing in Belgium. 

One physician was reportedly convicted for sexually assaulting patients, a gynecologist was suspected of deficiency in his care, and a surgeon had self prescribed opiates. The surgeon had also failed to disclose his conviction for involuntary manslaughter following an operation that resulted in the death of a 14-year-old patient. 

Belgian authorities had not read the IMI alerts sent by the French authorities regarding the three physicians. 

After being informed of the cases by reporters, the Belgian Order of Physicians said “immediate action is being taken regarding the doctors reported.” 

In the case of the cardiologist, French authorities filed an alert warning that his license had been revoked. However, records obtained by reporters show that in Belgium, only one healthcare authority accessed the alert. 

That’s a common situation across Europe, OCCRP has reported. 

Belgian authorities have only opened 43 of the 2,065 alerts filed for substantial reasons within the IMI system between 2021 and 2025, according to data obtained by journalists. French officials haven’t opened any.  

“Improvements to the IMI system are currently under consideration, in particular strengthening the harmonization of notification practices, improving response times between competent authorities, and enhancing the clarity of the information transmitted,” the French Ministry of Health. 

Belgian authorities also said the system was difficult to use and needed improvement.

Separate from the IMI system, the cardiologist was required to disclose his history in France, according to Barcham of Iris Hospitals South. 

“The physician is required to inform our institution as soon as they are subject to any disciplinary, correctional, or administrative sanction that could affect their professional practice within the hospital,” she said. “This contractual obligation was not fulfilled in this case.”

The cardiologist said he had only been barred from practicing in France.

“I made a stupid mistake by starting over anyway,” he said in an interview. “I did that because I have debts for the compensation to the patients, and because of my age I can’t get another job.”

The case against the cardiologist had been brought to trial after more than a dozen women came forward with reports of abuse.

In one testimony, a patient described how the cardiologist made her undress and groped her breasts, buttocks, vagina and anus, while pleasuring himself during a medical examination. The door had been locked, and she believed that he filmed the encounter. 

The court sentenced the cardiologist to four years, but he did not serve it in prison. The court suspended 30 months of his sentence, and ordered the remaining 18 to be served outside prison with an ankle bracelet.

With his medical license revoked in France, he attempted to start practicing again in Belgium. 

“But my career is over now,” he said.