EPPO raids Latvian hospitals over suspected €657,000 procurement fraud
Today, at the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Riga (Latvia), searches were carried out at two Latvian hospitals, as part of an investigation into suspected aggravated fraud and abuse of office.
The investigation concerns two public procurement contracts for sterilisation equipment and medical technology services, financed under the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and the national budget, with a combined value of €657 000 (€491 500 and €165 500, respectively).
According to the investigation, before the procurement procedures were launched, a pre-determined company reached an agreement with a member of the hospitals’ procurement committee to ensure the award of the contract.
The evidence gathered so far indicates that the technical specifications and other procurement requirements were tailored to favour that bidder, giving it an unjustified competitive advantage and enabling it to secure the contract. The investigation further indicates that these actions may have involved the abuse of an official position and deceptive practices intended to undermine the fairness and transparency of the procurement procedure, thereby causing damage to the financial interests of the EU and the principles of fair competition.
The investigation is being carried out with the support of Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB).
All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Latvian courts of law.
The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.
Politics Editor
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
