11 officials suspected of theft of medical supplies arrested

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11 officials suspected  of theft of medical supplies arrested

Posted 18/08/2022

Early morning raids by the  National Police in the provinces of Panama and West Panama,  on Thursday, August 18, led to the arrest by 7.15 am of  11  current and former officials of the Social Security Fund (CSS), suspects involved in the "subtraction of supplies" from the entity.

According to the investigations, they were presumed to be involved engaged in stealing supplies in different warehouses of the social security entity, a situation that caused the "shortage of medicines in medical centers."

Personnel from the First Superior Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime and agents from the National Police participate in the second phase of the "Insumo" operation, which began in September 2021.

On September 16, it was reported that in the first phase of the operation, 12 people were apprehended after raids were carried out at various points in the provinces of Panama and West Panama.

During these first proceedings, various medical supplies were found that were stolen from the CSS warehouses with the intention of marketing them, the Public Ministry reported on that occasion.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/11-officials-suspected-of-theft-of-medical-supplies-arrested

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10 social security officials in preventive detention for theft of medicines

Posted 20/08/2022

Ten people were ordered provisionally detained by a court of guarantees on Saturday, August 20 following the theft of electronic equipment and medical supplies from polyclinics of the Social Security Fund (CSS).

Previously, the arrests and the imputation of charges for crimes of illicit association and aggravated embezzlement had been legalized, for the people apprehended in Operation Inputs Phase 2  in which 10 CSS officials and one individual were apprehended by officials from the Specialized Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime.

Prosecutor Emeldo Márquez said that in the 14 raids carried out on Thursday, August 18, members of a criminal structure were located who, in a coordinated manner, stole medicines and medical supplies from the Blas Gómez de Arraiján polyclinic and the Pediatric Specialties polyclinic, on Via Espana, to sell them in the local market.

The investigation began in September 2021, when 12 people were arrested, including four CSS officials and one from the National Oncology Institute.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/10-social-security-officials-in-preventive-detention-for-theft-of-medicines