Former Health Minister Ilir Beqaj appeared at the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK) in Tirana, where he was informed of the accusation of \u201cabuse of duty\u201d, in collaboration, as part of the investigative file on the \u201cSterilization\u201d concession.<\/p>\n
Former Minister Beqaj and eight other defendants are charged by SPAK, while investigations were conducted by prosecutors Edvin Kondili and Ened Naku\u00e7i. SPAK has raised charges against these individuals related to the process for the \u201cSterilization\u201d concession, valued at \u20ac100 million over a 10-year period, awarded to businessman Ilir Rrapaj.<\/p>\n
After the session at SPAK, Beqaj expressed that the Prosecution has failed to investigate the two main elements of a sterilization investigation for 50 months.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs has been announced for several days, where I was informed of the conclusion of the investigations and indictment for the criminal offense of \u2018abuse of duty\u2019 in collaboration. Firstly, I would say that SPAK should have assessed my work with the fulfillment of constitutional and legal obligations of healthcare, because ensuring equal healthcare for all Albanians from north to south has been my duty and mission,\u201d said Beqaj.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsing state funds efficiently is a key duty, but for a health minister, the main duty is to reduce expenses from citizens\u2019 pockets for healthcare,\u201d Beqaj said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor 50 months, the Prosecution failed to investigate two key elements of a sterilization process, reducing the length of hospital stay for patients and reducing the use of hospital antibiotics. If they had made this assessment, which we will seek to be done, converting these savings into money would indeed yield a process beneficial to public finances and citizens\u2019 wallets. Not engaging in such a process, with nosocomial infections, with antimicrobial resistance, means not understanding what you have investigated. In 50 months, the Prosecution did not undertake to investigate why from April 2010 until September 2013, the purchased sterilization unit was kept in a bag while the Public Health Institute was requesting the closure of the surgical rooms,\u201d Beqaj said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had the duty to put it into operation, I put it into operation and fortunately, from the beginning of the contract implementation, 445,000 Albanians have been operated in very safe conditions. The Prosecution for 50 months was unable to make two key assessments for the Public-Private Partnership, the value of the money, and how the risk-sharing between private and public materialized after eight years of concrete implementation,\u201d Beqaj said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will face my truth in court, where the truth of the benefits that Albanians have gained from this sterilization process will emerge,\u201d Beqaj concluded.<\/p>\n
The former minister has been investigated and charged under the \u201cobligation to appear\u201d security measure. For months, he has appeared at SPAK every Friday.<\/p>\n
Accused and charges raised for the \u201cSterilization\u201d concession:<\/p>\n
Former Health Minister Ilir Beqaj appeared at the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK) in Tirana, where he was informed of the accusation of \u201cabuse of duty\u201d, in collaboration, as part of the investigative file on the \u201cSterilization\u201d concession. Former Minister Beqaj and eight other defendants are charged by SPAK, while investigations were conducted by prosecutors Edvin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":62854,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153],"tags":[270,1552,243,151,362,3948,3732],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n