Update: Searches at four big hospitals in Bucharest. Two hospital managers on remand

Anti-corruption prosecutors are conducting searches at four hospitals in Bucharest on Thursday. They suspect corruption offenses with the prejudice mounting to EUR 2.6 million.

The searched hospitals are Fundeni Institute, “Prof. Dr. Alexandru Trestioreanu” Oncology Hospital, “Bagdasar Arseni” Emergency Hospital and “Dr. Alexandru Obregia” Psychiatry Hospital.

Bogdan Paltineanu, the manager of the “Bagdasar Arseni” Emergency Hospital has been taken under custody by the anti-corruption prosecutors after having been heard for several hours at DNA under suspicions of corruption related to public procurement. Later on, on Thursday night another hospital manager has been taken into custody: Dan Nicolae Straja, the manager of the Oncology Institute in Bucharest. The anti-corruption prosecutors said that the manager of the Oncology Institute had received a bribe of EUR 95,750 in two tranches from the representative of two private companies. Yet, Straja denied he had ever taken bribe or favoring certain businessmen.

“Searches are conducted in 13 locations in Bucharest and Ilfov, 4 being HQs of public institutions and the rest are houses of physical persons and offices of private companies,” reads the anti-corruption prosecutors’ release.

Later on, judicial sources revealed that the public institutions are Fundeni Institute, “Prof. Dr. Alexandru Trerstioreanu” Oncology Hospital, “Bagdasar Arseni” Emergency Hospital and “Dr. Alexandru Obregia” Psychiatry Hospital.

The same sources said that searches are conducted at Fundeni Hospital in the office of manager Carmen Orban and of Emilia Grigore.

Prosecutors are seizing documents from the office of Dan Nicolae Straja, manager of the Oncology Hospital and from the office of the head of the Patologic Anatomy department, Madalina Gabriela Radu.

At Bagdasar Arseni hospital searches are also targeting the office of manager Bogdan Păltineanu and at the Psychiatry Hospital they are searching the office of the laboratory head Elena Postolache and at the Acquisition department.

The prejudice is estimated of EUR 2.6 M and facts would have committed during 2008-2016.