Police raid on VZP and approximately ten pharmaceutical firms in Prague
Czech police conducted a raid on the Prague office of VZP and approximately ten pharmaceutical companies. The case is being investigated by the National Centre Against Organised Crime.
Raid on Prague VZP and pharmaceutical firms: police investigating possible corruption links
Czech police on Thursday carried out a raid on the headquarters of the General Health Insurance Company (VZP) in Prague and simultaneously conducted searches at approximately ten pharmaceutical firms, according to server idnes.cz. The operation was coordinated by the National Centre Against Organised Crime (NCOZ).
Police did not immediately disclose the exact number of searched firms or the identities of detained persons following the raid. A police spokesperson confirmed that it is a large-scale operation involving multiple subjects from the pharmaceutical sector.
VZP is the largest health insurance company in the Czech Republic, which manages insurance for millions of clients and regularly concludes contracts with suppliers of medicines and medical equipment. Possible irregularities in these relationships could have an impact on the entire public health insurance system.
Details about the nature of the investigated conduct or the amount of possible damage were not available at the time of going to press. Police and the state prosecutor have not yet issued an official statement about the contents of the criminal report that preceded the raid.
Source: Google News CZ — Crime (cs)