(Luxembourg, 19 February 2024) – In a probe led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Prague (Czechia), 36 searches were conducted today and ten suspects were arrested, on suspicion of corruption involving public contracts to provide medical supplies to hospitals.
The searches were carried out in 11 cities in Czechia, at the suspects’ homes and offices and at the management offices of two hospitals, by the Czech police’s National Centre against Organised Crime (Národní centrála proti organizovanému zločinu – NCOZ). The suspects include the general manager of a hospital and managers of the contracting authority, as well as directors of suppliers of medical equipment.
At issue is a suspected criminal organisation, active since at least 2022, and formed with the intention of systematically manipulating the public procurement of medical supplies for hospitals, in order to benefit predetermined suppliers, and, in some cases, procure medical equipment without initiating a procurement procedure. The medical equipment included operating tables, equipment for laparoscopic and arthroscopic surgeries, endoscopes, defibrillators, surgical drills and ventilators.
According to the investigation, pre-determined suppliers had the opportunity to participate in the creation of the tendering conditions in the public procurement management system, before the public announcement of the tender, in order to tailor the contracts to the preferred suppliers. In addition, it is understood that the suspects transmitted confidential information to the preferred suppliers, including the content of the offers from competing suppliers and requests for clarification of tendering documents – allowing preferred suppliers, in some cases, to draft responses to such requests.
