In 2021, Investigate Europe released an investigation about the for-profit elder care industry. It detailed how even though many care homes are understaffed, and there aren’t adequate resources for residents, international corporations and financial investors continue to make huge gains. One name that kept popping up was Orpea: one of the world’s largest care home providers. It has a presence in 23 countries, with 1,100 medical facilities.

IE’s journalists have followed this story since and were able to reveal how Orpea has relied on a secret Luxembourg company called Lipany, and how some of its top managers carried out dubious operations through a network of companies connected to Lipany. This first #OrpeaSecrets publication was followed up with reporting on how Orpea used the same network to cover up lavish commission payments to intermediaries for new care homes in France.

To understand more about what’s going on with this scandal-ridden company, we speak with two reporters who have doggedly pursued this story. Leïla Minano, IE’s reporter for France, and Maxence Peigné, IE newsfeed reporter.

Orpea's dirty secrets