The former Minister of Health, Ilir Beqja, has been in the Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime for 7 hours, where he is testifying about the concession of sterilization, which is being investigated as a corrupt affair in violation of equality in tenders.
Journalist Klodiana Lala has given new details, stating that the former minister is giving an account of why it was necessary to grant this concession, the circumstances and why the bill was inflated from 12 to 17 million euros per year.
Beqja was presented to SPAK without a defense lawyer.
"First, it has to do with how the concession company Sani Service shpk was selected and declared the winner, which received the concession worth 100 million euros for 10 years. Secondly, what were the reasons and circumstances that forced the Albanian government and the Ministry of Health to provide this service, i.e. the sterilization of surgical sets with a concession and how the invoice for the payment to the account of the concession company was inflated. From 12 million euros in the first year, this payment has gone to 17 million euros. Also Mr. Beqja will also be asked about how the sterilization center built with a loan from the Council of Europe Bank near the University Hospital Center was passed and then this center was not put into operation by the state, but was given to private use.
Beqja is being asked how much this service cost when it was provided by the state and how much it costs now that it is provided by the private sector. Also, another interest of the BKH investigators is precisely related to the fact that Beqja is known and has a friendly relationship with the owner of the company Sani Service, the company that won the concession. It is suspected that Ilir Beqja and Ilir Rrapaj are friends and therefore it is suspected by the Special Prosecutor's Office that this company was favored for winning this concession.
Also, another track is being investigated that has to do with suspicions of money laundering, but it is likely that this charge will be attributed to him if there will be concrete decisions by SPAK of all persons who are involved in business matters" , the journalist told News24.
Earlier, the former Deputy Minister of Health, Klodian Rjepaj, as well as the members of the sterilization concession commission, were asked about this concession twice in a row.
During the time that Beqja led the Ministry of Health, he gave a concession to the sterilization service. This concession of 100 million euros was won by "Sani Service" of businessman Ilir Rrapaj, who according to the data is a friend of Beqja.
In the first year of the contract, 17 million euros were paid from the state budget, out of the 12 that the contract stipulated. The sterilization concession has been under investigation for 3 years.