Le Patriarche was an association created in France in 1974 with the purpose of rehabilitating drug addicts in a communitarian environment.
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1970s
The association was founded on May 2, 1974, by Lucien Engelmajer, in Saint-Paul-sur-Save, near Toulouse, France. The name of the association is a reference to the founder's surname.
The association Le Patriarche developed a different approach to withdrawal, based on a system free from drugs and substitutes. It also implied a redefinition of social ties. The new-comers were under the supervision of their peers, who had experienced the same problem. The association's motto was "help, to be helped". In the eighties, many centers were opened in Europe and the Americas. In the early nineties, it had more than 5,000 residents in 210 centers, located in 17 countries.
1980s
When the AIDS pandemic broke out, the association Le Patriarche was able to provide some care to the HIV-positive, by opening dedicated centres. However, it was unable to evolve and follow the new trends in consumption and treatments, being heavily criticised, mainly for the lack of qualified staff and having a structure based on free workforce.
In 1985, the Swiss section of the association Le Patriarche separated and named a new president; however, the Swiss government seized the centres in its territory and forbid Lucien Engelmajer from entering the country.
1990s
In 1995, the association Le Patriarche was signalled by a French governmental report as a sect.
The association's charismatic leader and founder was accused and trialed on charges of embezzlement and violence against residents. In 1998, he was forced to quit by the administration. In the same year, the association was restructured and all references to its past were erased.
2000s
On January 9, 2007, a Toulouse court condemned Lucien Engelmajer, founder of the association «Le Patriarche», for abuse of ignorance or frailty, practice of covert labour, breach of trust, embezzlement, forgery, money laundering, to a sentence of 5 years imprisonment and a fine of 375.000 euros.
Under several arrest warrants, Lucien Engelmajer escaped to Belize, where he came to die in 2007