PRAGUE (Reuters) – Czech police detained 22 people and carried out 46 searches linked to suspected corruption at the country’s biggest hospital involving 160 million euros ($167.50 million) in European Union (EU) funds, authorities said on Monday.
Charges were brought against 16 people for corruption, subsidy fraud, damaging the EU’s financial interests and laundering, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and Czech police said in separate statements.
The EPPO said “serious corruption” was suspected in projects financed or co-financed by the EU.
It said 16 suspects it did not name exploited public procurement steps by “demanding and providing illicit financial gains for the implementation of contracts” for the Motol University Hospital in Prague.
The hospital could not be immediately reached for comment.
The Czech Health Ministry said it had no further details on the investigation, but was ready to cooperate or take appropriate action.
More than 350 police officers carried out searches at the hospital, companies and a law firm. Czech police said the investigation into the group of people started in 2023.
The main suspects face sentences of up to 12 years if found guilty, police said.
The Czech Republic ranks higher than peers in central Europe in Transparency International’s rankings, although the group has said insufficent transparency left public procurements exposed to influence.
In a separate case, the EPPO led an investigation into public contracts to provide medical supplies to hospitals a year ago, which led to 10 people being arrested.
($1 = 0.9552 euros)
(Reporting by Jason Hovet; editing by Barbara Lewis)
