Scandal at the Oncology Clinic/ Tirana Prosecution Office takes former deputy director of the University Hospital and 5 others to court

2026-04-30 10:32:00, Aktualitet CNA

Scandal at the Oncology Clinic/ Tirana Prosecution Office takes former deputy

The Tirana Prosecutor's Office has completed the investigations and has sent the former deputy director of the QSUT, doctors and specialists to trial for abuse of office.

According to the Prosecution, they sent oncology patients to private clinics for treatments that should have been done at the state hospital, and sabotaged the equipment used to treat cancer patients.

Specifically, the former deputy director of the QSUT, Brikena Qirjazi; the coordinator of the Oncology Hospital, Emiljano Lela; the administrator of the Oncology Hospital, Alketa Pere; and specialist Drilona Kishta have been sent to trial for "Abuse of office."

Meanwhile, the defendant Halil Gashi, administrator of the "Megis" clinic, is accused of committing the criminal offense of "Hiding income", while the administrator of the pharmaceutical company is accused of the criminal offense of "Trading and transporting contraband goods".

Initially, this case was sent to SPAK, but the Special Prosecution Office declared incompetence, singling out the case of doctor Edmond Gashi, who is being investigated for corruption.

Full announcement:

They sent oncology patients to private clinics for treatments that should have been done at the state hospital and sabotaged the equipment for treating tumor patients. The Tirana Prosecution Office is sending the deputy director of the QSUT, doctors and specialists to court for 'Abuse of duty'

The Prosecutor's Office at the Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction, Tirana, completed the investigations and sent six people to trial, including the Deputy Director, the coordinator, doctors and specialists of the Oncology Hospital at the Tirana University Hospital Center (QSUT) as well as the administrator of a pharmaceutical company for the criminal offenses of 'Abuse of office', 'Hiding income' and 'Trading and transporting contraband goods' provided for by articles 248, 180/1 and 178/1 of the Criminal Code.

Initially, the case was sent to the Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime to assess whether it involved any collaboration that was the subject matter competence of this prosecution. However, it was re-referred to the Tirana Prosecution Office, separating the materials in charge of oncologist EG, for the criminal offense of “Passive corruption of persons exercising public functions”, provided for by article 259/2 of the Criminal Code.

As a result, at the conclusion of the investigations into criminal proceedings no. 5071 of 2023 by the Prosecutor's Office at the Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction, Tirana, in cooperation with the Section for the Fight against Economic and Financial Crime at the Tirana DVP, they managed to document cases where various patients, after not being given proper medical treatment, were referred to private clinics where, against inflated fees, services and surgical interventions were performed that should have been provided free of charge by doctors at the oncology hospital at QSUNT.

It also turned out that a Cobalt Therapy device was installed near the Oncology Hospital in QSUNT for the treatment of patients diagnosed with tumor diseases. In order to use this device, an anti-radioactive or anti-atomic bunker had to be created in advance under the conditions approved and presented by the Vienna Atomic Agency or the international agency IEAHEA. Not only was this bunker not created, but the device was placed outside the technical conditions and in the room next to the radiology cabinet with a type of radioactivity that cannot be allowed to be placed in non-specific environments. Since 2021, when this device arrived in Albania, it has not been in use but has been left in inappropriate conditions, becoming a source of danger to the medical personnel themselves as a result of the possible radiation it emits.

At the end of the investigations, the Prosecutor's Office at the Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction, Tirana proved that citizen EL, in his capacity as coordinator at the QSUNT Oncology Hospital, has illegally intervened in the process of administration and orientation of patients to private clinics to receive treatment in the fight against tumor diseases, at a time when it was provided by the state. He selected patients from the waiting list and oriented them not to the doctor they had recommended according to the procedures, but to private clinics, benefiting from a monetary percentage. In the analysis of the facts and evidence collected, it was proven that the defendant EL, has committed the criminal offense of "Abuse of office".

Likewise, the defendant AP, in her capacity as administrator at the Oncology Hospital of the QSUT, was proven to have sent patients to private clinics, exceeding her competences and in violation of the legal and procedural rules that regulate the exercise of the medical profession and the administration of health documentation. In the analysis of the facts and evidence collected, it was proven that the defendant AP has committed the criminal offense of "Abuse of office".

The Prosecutor's Office at the Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction of Tirana also proved that citizen BQ, in her capacity as Deputy Director at the QSUT in charge of covering the oncology service, did not take the necessary measures to guarantee the regular and safe functioning of the cobalt source device. She did not take measures to put this device into operation, causing patients not to be offered the necessary medical service in a timely manner. As a result, patients were not given the opportunity to choose the treatment method, being limited to only one treatment alternative. As above, it is proven that the defendant BQ has committed the criminal offense of "Abuse of office".

Following the investigation, it turned out that citizen DK, in her capacity as a specialist at the QSUT, had a legal obligation to conduct an expertise regarding the management of radioactive sources and their waste. This citizen drafted an expertise that was not in accordance with the real situation and with the data provided by the representatives of the Radiotherapy unit. It also turns out that this expertise was conducted before the process of ordering the cobalt source, which resulted in a decision to order a radioactive source that was not put into operation and was not used. As a result of this activity, economic damage was caused to the institution, violating the legitimate interests of the state. As mentioned above, citizen DK, it turns out, has committed the criminal offense of “Abuse of office”.

As for citizen HG, it turned out that he did not issue tax invoices for the operations and services performed in the clinic, including services such as scanners and mammograms, and allowed doctors to work unregistered. He did not issue tax invoices for the services and operations performed in the clinic he administered, allowed doctors to work without legal registration and materially benefited from this system of concealing income. The above proved that the defendant HG committed the criminal offense of “Hiding income”.

Finally, citizen FM, in his capacity as administrator of "Flori Farma", purchased and put into circulation the drug "Valamor", which he knew or should have known was contraband (without the AKBPM stamp and with a damaged barcode). As administrator of the pharmaceutical entity, he participated in the illegal activity of trading contraband drugs, knowing or being aware of the illegal status of the purchased drug, committing the criminal offense of 'Trading and transporting contraband goods'. /CNA