Press Release

Prosecution Office of Tirana has ordered the detention of some citizens, including the owner of a pharmaceutical warehouse, leaders of this warehouse, some pharmacists and officials of the Regional Healthcare Fund, Tirana, suspected of being involved in a huge fraud scheme of medicines reimbursement.

The investigation of the Prosecution Office of Tirana (Task Force Unit), resulted that on top of this scheme, registered recently, was the citizen N. Çausholli, administrator of the pharmaceutical warehouse “Omega Pharma”.
The subject of the investigation at first had to do with the reimbursement of the medicines prices, according to the recipes used by four pharmaceutical entities, which are Farmacia Lunder, Nutrimed 2012, Berxhite, and Adelina.

Besides the pharmacies mentioned above, the object of the investigation of this proceeding is extended also at several other pharmacies, which are found to have benefited high values of reimbursement in terms of medicines, prices of which are reimbursed by the state.

Referring to the legislation, pharmacies are reimbursed only for medical drugs, which are marketed by the pharmaceutical importer / distributor that has a contract with the Fund. Pharmacies, as well as import and distribution warehouses, have the obligation to declare every month entrances and warehouse, from which they have bought the incoming medicines.
The investigation showed that some pharmacies have executed fictitious recipes. From the inspection of the entrances to these pharmacies, it is noted that a large part of the supply are made by the warehouse “Omega Pharma Group”.

Also, the investigation into this procedure resulted that the pharmaceutical warehouse "R ... F" has the right to import the medical drug ketosteril. This drug is given for the diagnosis “chronic renal insufficiency”. From the data review declared from some pharmacies which operate in the market of Tirana, it is noted that these pharmacies have declared the boarding pass of the medicine ketosteril by the supplier “Omega Pharma Group” for the period June 2013 0 May 2015. During this period is proved that “R... F...” has not sold ketosteril to “Omega Pharma Group” and this subject has not purchased this product.

From the inspection of tax receipts seized at the “Omega Pharma Group”, it is noted that in these receipts were identified some receipts “cash” with minus in sales. These receipts contain different medications, including also ketosteril and insulin. The name of the subject from which are taken the goods is not identified.

As above, there is the doubt that the warehouse “omega Pharma Group” has created fictitious tax receipts. This subject has supplied pharmacies with fictitious bill of sale with no purchase. Then, the pharmacies have executed fictitious recipes and have requested to the Fond the reimbursement of these recipes. As above, the whole materials study administrated in this criminal proceeding, exist the justified suspicious that the person under investigation N. Çausholli has committed the offense of “Falsification of Documents” in collaboration and “Deception/ Fraud” in collaboration, provided by the article 186/2 and 143/2 of the Criminal Code.

Following the investigation, it showed that the suspicious citizen Çausholli is supported by the citizen F.K. (technical manager of “Omega Pharma Group in 2014); V.K. (head of Finance at “Omega Pharma Group”); as well as A.P (accountant at “Omega Pharma Group”)

Also, the investigation of the Prosecution Office of Tirana showed that some pharmacies have executed fictitious recipes taken from “Omega Pharma” and then they submitted these recipes at the Healthcare Fund, with the purpose of reimbursement. Based on these illegal actions, the Prosecution Office of Tirana has issued detention orders for the citizens:

- E.M. (technical manager of pharmacy "Alice");
- M.P.A.T and A.TH (respectively administrator and technical manager of pharmacy “Express”);
- E.H. (technical manager of pharmacy “Farmacia nr.6”)
- O.P (administrator and technical manager of pharmacy “Katroshi”)
- The investigation showed that pharmacies have executed fictitious receipts, which later submitted them at the Fund with the purpose of reimbursement. These fictitious receipts have come out from warehouse of the Regional Directorate of the Fund. The citizen V.B., as the storekeeper of this institution, has not properly administered the movement of the materials entrances in stock. She did not make the distribution of the receipts in accordance with the regular legal procedure.

- It has also shown that for every month, in the regional Fund is made the sub-reconciliation of recipes. The citizen E.P. was the head of the Informatics-Statistics Sector. This citizen declared that the files of these pharmacies were not signed by her. The investigation showed that the citizen T.T. has signed for the Sector of Informatics-Statistics without having the right to do that.