FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime arrested today the former Deputy Minister of Health, Klodian Rrjepaj and the businessman Ilir Rrapaj, on charges of abuse of office, forgery and fraud, related to the sterilization concession 8 years ago.
Businessman Rrapaj was arrested yesterday evening while SPAK has issued 8 arrest warrants; in addition to the two arrests, two other officials Saimir Kadiu, economic director and Marsela Serjanaj are under house arrest, while 4 others have to appear, Arben Gjata, rector of the University of Medicine, Pertef Mersini, Genc Burazeri, Naile Ajazi.
Former Minister of Finance Shkëlqim Cani was called today by SPAK as a person who knows the case, to explain his hesitant attitudes before this contract was approved.
The 10-year concession worth nearly 100 million euros was awarded to the SaniService company, a merger of companies where Ilir Rrapaj with his company Investital LLC is the main shareholder, alongside the Italian companies "Servizi Italia", "Tecnosanimed" and "U.Jet Srl". .
The Public-Private Partnership contract provided for customized sterilization of single-use surgical equipment.
On the issue of sterilization, SPAK also received testimony from the former Minister of Health, Ilir Beqaj, with whom the businessman Rrapaj had established frequent contacts.
Beqaj rejected suspicions of corrupt favoritism in contracts. The Prosecutor's Office of Tirana declared in 2016 that the sterilization contract has no elements of a criminal offense and closed the file, but the investigation was restarted after 3 years when Nisma Thurrje sent a denunciation to SPAK newly created.
The head of the Thurrje Initiative, Endri Shabani, reacted today with a support for SPAK, which is investigating this issue, stressing that "the Albanian people expect justice an hour ago". The opposition supported SPAK, urging it to pursue this issue to the end.
The chairman of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, declared today that concessions in health are corrupt acts of the Rama government, and "SPAK must go to the end of the chain of responsibilities that have caused irreparable damage to Albanian citizens, who expect and deserve justice".
The sterilization concession was involved from the beginning by many doubts, controversies and shadows, since Rrapaj had founded his company "Investal LLC" in Pristina, while for years he lived in Umbria, Italy, where he ran a small construction company.
Other doubts arose regarding the value of the contract, which was based on a certain number of surgical operations, increasing costs for the state budget.
The winning company was given a modern sterilization center, built in the Mother Teresa Hospital Center with a loan from the government, but it was never put into operation./VOA
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