The Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organized Crime in Tirana has completed the investigations regarding cardiologist Edvin Prifti.
The file in his charge has been sent for trial to the first instance of the Special Court, where he is accused of committing the criminal offenses “Passive corruption of persons exercising public functions”, “Theft committed by abuse of office”, “Concealment of income” “, and “Cleaning of the proceeds of a criminal offense or criminal activity”.
From the conducted investigations, it has been proven that the defendant Edvin Prifti, with the duty of Head of the Cardiac Surgery Service at the “Mother Teresa” University Hospital Center, Tirana, during the exercise of his duties, as a cardiac surgeon, at least on seven occasions has received irregular benefits in monetary amounts from patients operated on near the Cardiac Surgery Pavilion at the “Mother Teresa” University Hospital Center.
Also, at the time of the arrest, from the control of the defendant’s apartment and office, 256,800 euros, 7,600 US dollars and 15,435,000 ALL were found and seized.
Considerable sums of money, for which the investigation showed that the defendant could not justify them with legal sources. SPAK suspects that this money is the product of the doctor’s illegal activity.
SPAK informs that it has also seized six bank accounts of the doctor, with monetary amounts in the amount of 177,497 Euros and 52,479,368 Lek.
The total amount of money seized during the preliminary investigation is 434,319 euros, 67,914,368 ALL, and 7,600 USD.
The investigation has proven that, from 2018 onwards, the defendant requested fictitious tax invoices from various commercial entities operating in the field of providing medical services, etc., which were then submitted to the tax authorities. in order not only to justify monetary amounts, but also to fictitiously increase expenses in order to avoid tax obligations.
“The defendant Edvin Prifti has been provided with fictitious invoices, which reflect the fictitious purchase of medical items and equipment from commercial entities in his name, with the aim of increasing costs and avoiding tax obligations, but also to justify the amounts paid Cash in the accounts of these businesses, amounts which were then withdrawn by him, and deposited in personal accounts. In this way, he has justified the sources of income, without legal origin, which, however, have not been fully justified. This mechanism, especially the monetary movements in the bank accounts, accompanied by the device with fictitious tax invoices, shows the true intention of the defendant, which is to hide and cover the nature of the source of income, from the activity of corruption. For this reason, he has in this way consumed the elements of the criminal offense of “Cleaning the proceeds of a criminal offense or criminal activity” carried out in the form provided by article 287/1 point “b” of the Criminal Code.
Defendant Edvin Prifti, thanks to his position as Head of the Cardiac Surgery Service, after receiving a Grant in the amount of 8,973 (eight thousand nine hundred and seventy-three) USD, from a foundation for the purpose of financing a project that to be implemented in the Service where he led, it turns out that he did not invest the entire monetary amount of the Grant, but benefited from it for personal interests. From the above, in relation to this fact, it results that the defendant Edvin Prifti has consumed the elements of the criminal offense of “Theft committed by abusing duty”, provided for by Article 135 of the Criminal Code. Investigations continue for other persons and for other criminal facts”, says the announcement of SPAK.
