The 64-year-old doctor from Rzeszów, head of a hospital ward and court-appointed expert, has been charged with 307 corruption offences. The court remanded her in custody for three months, the police announced.
Arrest and charges
The woman was detained on Monday, 9 November, by officers from the Anti-Corruption Department of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Rzeszów. They acted on the orders of a prosecutor from the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Rzeszów, which is supervising the investigation. The suspect was brought to the prosecutor’s office, where she was presented with 307 corruption-related charges. The police do not rule out further charges.
According to the police, at the prosecutor’s request the court imposed a three-month pre-trial detention on the doctor. The alleged offences carry a penalty of up to 8 years in prison. Chief Inspector Piotr Wojtunik, spokesman for the Provincial Police Headquarters in Rzeszów, presented the case on Thursday.
Alcohol and cash for admission to the ward
Police findings show that the doctor, while serving as head of a ward at one of the hospitals in Rzeszów, allegedly received material benefits from patients’ carers: premium-brand alcohol or cash amounting to between 50 and 300 zloty. In return, she allegedly agreed to provide treatment or admit patients to the ward.
Private appointments in the hospital clinic
Investigators also allege that she saw patients in her work clinic both under a contract with the National Health Fund (NFZ) and privately. For private appointments she bore no costs of renting or maintaining the clinic, which the police consider a material benefit.
Private visits were allegedly recorded at other medical facilities as services provided under an NFZ contract, in order to obtain reimbursement. The suspect allegedly certified untruths in medical records and reporting documentation for this purpose. In the police’s view, she made these offences a permanent source of income.
Searches
On the day of the detention, officers searched the doctor’s surgery and the vehicles used by the suspect, and seized documentation and other items that may be relevant to the investigation. According to the police, the evidence gathered fully confirms the scheme. At this stage, the presumption of innocence applies. The police did not disclose the doctor’s name or the name of the hospital.
