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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The former Minister of Health, Ilir Beqaj, appeared today, February 2, again at SPAK.
A few days ago, the GJKKO ordered the former minister to appear and be banned from leaving the country, as he is being investigated for the 'Sterilization' affair.
The investigation is about the alleged violations by SPAK, in the sterilization concession worth 100 million euros and a 10-year term, won by the businessman Ilir Rrapaj, already arrested together with the former Deputy Minister of Health, Klodian Rrjepaj.
While he is implementing the measure set by GJKKO on this matter, a parallel investigation has started for him on suspicions related to foreign funds, coordinated by SASPAC, the State Agency for Strategic Programming and Aid Coordination, where Beqaj was the director.
SPAK has suspicions of corruption and misuse of duties by Beqaj, but no proceedings have been registered, while his house was searched and his phone, computer and other documents were seized. Controls were also carried out in the residences of 5 other members of SASPAC.
The Sterilization Affair
The sterilization concession passed into the hands of SPAK prosecutors in July 2022, who launched the investigation to clarify the procedures for granting this service with a concession.
It is one of the four projects of the PPP budget support in health that originated in the first governing mandate of Prime Minister Edi Rama. The contract was signed in 2015 between the former Minister of Health, Ilir Beqja and the concessionaire company SaniService - whose shareholders are Investital LLC and the Italian companies "Servizi Italia", "Tecnosanimed" and "U.Jet Srl".
The largest package of shares in this concession is owned by Investital LLC - a small company founded with a capital of 1 thousand euros in Kosovo by Ilir Rrapaj. According to the data published by BIRN some time ago, it appears that Rrapaj returned to Albania after the 2013 elections and before winning the concession, established frequent contacts with the former Minister of Health, Ilir Beqaj.
The electroscalpel is part of one of the surgical sets that the concessionaire company "SaniService" sells to the Ministry of Health for prices ranging from 16,000 ALL to 45,000 ALL (with VAT) for each intervention.
The Public Private Partnership contract for the sterilization of surgical instruments is in its seventh year of operation, and has seen significant increases in projected costs.
Members of the commission that prepared the feasibility study for the sterilization concession told the Prosecutor's Office that the center had not been commissioned for eight years due to a lack of trained staff. They used it as one more argument why the service should be concessioned.
How SPAK's investigations into the affair began
The first to be questioned by the prosecutors was the member of the Concession Commission, Saimir Kadiu, as well as the members of the Tender Commission. The procedure for the sterilization of surgical sets is the first file of SPAK and was under investigation for 3 years.
The report was made by representatives of Nisma Thurje, who have criminally denounced the officials involved in the concession of the sterilization process.
They have requested the investigation of the officials, starting with the former Minister of Health, Ilir Beqja, who according to them have abused the state budget.
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