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The former Minister of Health, Ilir Beqaj and the Minister of Finance, Shkëlqim Cani, are under investigation by the Special Prosecutor's Office for the controversial concession of sterilization of surgical equipment, while the former Deputy Minister Klodian Rjepaj and the businessman Ilir Rrapaj were arrested on Thursday in the implementation of the arrest measures signed by the Special Court almost two months ago.
According to SPAK's official announcement, Rjepaj is charged with the criminal offenses of "falsification of documents" and "abuse of duty", while businessman Ilir Rrapaj is charged with fraud with serious consequences, provided for by Article 143/3 of the Criminal Code.
SPAK also announced that six more security measures had been implemented against the members of the concession awarding commission, two of them with house arrest and four others with the obligation to appear before the Judicial Police officer.
The economic and legal leaders of the Ministry of Health, Saimir Kadiu and Marsela Serjanaj, were placed under house arrest, while the rector of the University of Medicine, Arben Gjata and the other three members of the commission, Petref Mersini, Genc Burazeri and Naile Ajazi, will be investigated in the measure of the submission obligation.
The surgical equipment sterilization concession is one of the four projects of the government's Public Private Partnership "Rama" in the health sector, which has cost Albanian taxpayers about 7.9 billion lek [76 million euros] until the end of 2022.
It is one of the first files reported to the Special Prosecutor's Office since 2019, while the decision-making comes after more than four years of investigations.
In the press release, SPAK announced that it had registered the criminal proceedings in January 2020 and that it had addressed the court for arrest measures in June 2023, after having carried out "an extremely large number of investigative actions". The security measures were approved by the Special Court on June 23, but SPAK does not clarify in the announcement their execution almost two months later.
Asked by BIRN, the prosecutor of the case, Edvin Kondili, linked the delay in the execution of security measures to the fact that the businessman under charge, Ilir Rrapaj, was not in Albania.
"It was a tactic of ours, because we knew that the other person would also come under investigation," he said, implying that the arrest of former deputy minister Rjepaj could lead to the departure of businessman Ilir Rrapaj.
SPAK's request for security measures against eight accused persons, not including the former Minister of Health, Ilir Beqja and Minister of Finance, Shkëlqim Cani, was evaluated as minimal by the court.
"I saw that there were other criminal acts and persons, including the two former ministers, and I directed the prosecution to investigate in this direction," said Judge Erion Bani, who reviewed the security measures, in a telephone conversation.
The prosecutor of the case, Kondili, told BIRN that former ministers Ilir Beqja and Shkëlqim Cani are under investigation for their role in granting the sterilization concession.
Beqja, i cili drejton sot Agjencinë Shtetërore të Programit Strategjik të Koordinimit të Ndihmës, nuk iu përgjigj një kërkese për koment të BIRN, ndërsa ish-ministri Shkëlqim Cani deklaroi pas një séance pyetjesh në SPAK të enjten se kishte dhënë miratimin pas plotësimit të kërkesave sipas ligjit.
“Unë nuk jam ministri që kam bërë pagesat. Kur ka filluar koncesioni unë jam larguar nga detyra,” tha Cani, ndërsa mohoi të kishte njohje me biznesmenin Rrapaj.
Në një investigim të publikuar në vitin 2015, BIRN zbuloi se Ilir Rrapaj, një ish-emigrant shqiptar në Itali, u bë përfituesi kryesor i koncesionit të sterilizimit pasi vendosi kontakte me ish-ministrin Ilir Beqja dhe zyrtarë të tjerë socialistë.
Through his small company with a capital of 1,000 euros registered in Pristina, Investital LLC, Rrapaj received 40% of the shares in the consortium that won the concession. The other shares were owned by the Italian companies Servizi Italia with 30%, Tecnosanimed with 15% and U.Jet with 15%.
The concession contract caused "headaches" in the Ministry of Health after the start of its implementation due to high costs, which forced the ministry to renegotiate it. / BIRN
Lini një Përgjigje