Parliamentary inquiry reveals fraud schemes in pharmaceutical procurement

A parliamentary inquiry into the operations of the Drugs Agency has revealed, among other, a procurement scheme that scammed taxpayers out of 4 million lei in 2008, Info-Prim Neo reports. MP Gheorghe Brega, who heads the inquiry commission, said the scheme involved a company that had a government contract to provide over 4 million syringes and 7 million medical gloves for potential emergencies – amounts which exceeded the annual demand by far. However, the Drugs Agency received significantly less, which resulted in roughly 4 million lei being scammed. In a separate case, Gheorghe Brega remarked the procurement for the Cancer Institute of cheap topical antiseptics, like iodine and brilliant green solution, drugs which the facility doesn't really need. Brega claims that such fake procurement deals often help persons in positions of authority in the state derive “huge profits”. Brega went on to add that he knew a few names from the current government that could be involved in these fraud schemes, but refrained from disclosing them, promising to inform the law enforcement agencies of his findings. The parliamentary commission for inquiry into the operations of the Drugs Agency was created on April 9, and its chairman claims that since its establishment the inquiry team has faced resistance from different governmental agencies.