Former Albanian health minister Ilir Beqaj is facing new charges of fraud and organized crime linked to a €100 million sterilization contract. The charges come after an investigation revealed inflated costs and misuse of public funds in a decade-long deal for surgical sterilizations.
Albania’s former health minister, Ilir Beqaj, has been hit with fresh charges related to a €100 million sterilization contract, adding new allegations of fraud and organized crime to his legal troubles.
Beqaj, along with former deputy minister Klodian Rrjepaj and entrepreneur Ilir Rrapaj, now faces accusations of falsifying documents and misusing their positions in a controversial decade-long concession for surgical sterilizations.
The Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Prosecution (SPAK) confirmed the expanded charges after a special court reviewed evidence submitted by investigators. The new accusations include forming a criminal group to commit the alleged fraud, which inflated sterilization costs and misused public funds.
The case centres around a concession deal for the sterilization of surgical equipment, originally valued at €100 million. Beqaj, Rrjepaj, and Rrapaj are accused of manipulating financial data, falsely reporting the number of surgeries performed, and overestimating maintenance costs to benefit from the inflated figures.
Beqaj, who is already serving time for another legal case, denies the charges, as does Rrjepaj. Both have claimed that the sterilization project provided high-quality services to Albanian citizens in line with European Union standards.
Authorities believe that the project’s costs were artificially inflated, with Beqaj allegedly aware of the discrepancies but failing to take action. The prosecution also claims Rrjepaj increased maintenance costs for sterilization equipment well beyond its actual value.
Rrapaj, a former construction businessman, is accused of collaborating with ministry officials to falsify documents. He had no prior experience in healthcare services when his company became part of the consortium awarded the concession, which raised suspicions about his involvement.
The court’s decision to intensify the charges follows months of investigation, which began in 2020 and led to this year’s prosecution. The next hearing is scheduled for January 9, where the defendants will address the updated charges.
Background:
Ilir Beqaj, who served as health minister from 2013 to 2017, has been a prominent figure in Albanian politics. He and Rrjepaj were arrested earlier this year in connection with the sterilization contract. Rrapaj’s business dealings have raised questions about his role in securing the controversial concession, awarded under terms that critics argue were favourable to the involved parties.
