Prague - Police want to charge the four men who are involved in fraud worth million CZK with hospital equipment at Prague Homolka Hospital.

The case involves an order for the cardio surgical laser system, which, however, has never been delivered to the hospital by a private company and the damage to the hospital was then worth eighteen million CZK.

Ex-director of the hospital Oldřich Šubrt has been accused in past in this case; he then also worked for the Agel company owned by steel magnate Tomáš Chrenek. 

Chrenek´s empire consists of twelve hospitals, six medical centers and a chain of pharmacies. In April, also a health insurance company called Agel was launched.

Millions helped to pay off the debt

According to police, Homolka Hospital ordered the cardio surgical laser system from a private company with its seat in Přerov. But according to the police, the money was finally used for some other purposes.

"In five cases, its executive head collected eighteen million CZK from Homolka Hospital and used the money in the total of eight million CZK to pay commission on the order of the device to the other accused man," informed the head commissar of the anti-corruption unit Roman Skřepek.

According to Skřepek the executive head used the other money to pay off his own debts.

Fraud, bribes offered and accepted...

Skřepek stated that the men are suspected of fraud, offering and accepting bribes, violating the obligation during administration of other person's property and assisting in the criminal offence of bribing.

According to Aktuálně.cz findings, also the lobbyist František Vybíral is involved in this case. Together with other two businessmen, he wanted to bribe the hospital, so that it would not claim the refund, nor insist on delivery of the system.

The evidence in this case was collected through wiretaps by the Organized Crime Detection Unit, which pursues Vybíral and the others in the bioethanol case.

Ex-director Šubrt: I did nothing

Also the ex-director of the hospital, Oldřich Šubrt, has already been accused from violating the obligation during administration of other person's property by the police.

While he was Homolka Hospital´s director, he paid invoices worth 18 million CZK from August to December 2001 to the supplier of the cardio surgical laser system, allegedly without properly checking them.

Šubrt allegedly didn't take sufficient steps even after the company had not delivered the ordered device on the appointed day.

Šubrt has said before he does not agree with charges, however, he resigned from all his executive functions in Agel company, until the whole case is completed.