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Rabat – The regional unit of the judicial police in the Moroccan city of Fez arrested 11 individuals on Thursday allegedly involved in the misappropriation of medical equipment.
The suspects included a director and staff members from a public hospital, alongside three managers affiliated with private medical institutions situated in Taza.
The allegations against these individuals include serious charges of theft, breach of trust, embezzlement of public funds, and bribery.
According to a statement released by the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), initial investigations suggest that the detained individuals might have forged administrative documents.
The manipulation appears to have facilitated the illicit sale and disposal of public medical devices and equipment. Despite the equipment being fit for use, they were purportedly misrepresented as obsolete in official records.
The probe also revealed suspicions of blackmail employed in connection to public procurement operations tied to these medical supplies.
In addition, the case also involves allegations of diversion of these critical resources to several private medical contractors.
Local media reports indicate that the list of suspects includes the public hospital’s director, the head nurse of the hospital’s surgical operations center, the staff member in charge of properties and disposables, and the head of security guards from the company responsible for security at the hospital.
Reports further indicate that the arrests were made following a report issued by a central inspection committee under the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.
The committee uncovered several irregularities and manipulations in deals involving the supply of biomedical equipment and medical supplies to the hospital, especially those equipment related to blood filtration and kidney failure diseases.
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