Croatia: More than 300 Doctors and Pharmacists Indicted for Bribery

Published: 06 January 2014

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Croatia’s anti-corruption office USKOK has charged 364 Croatian citizens and the Farmal pharmaceutical company for bribery and corruption, reports Balkan Insight.

400px-Prescription_drugsAccording to Reuters, pharmaceutical managers tried boosting their drug sales by bribing doctors and pharmacists with cash, gifts, and free trips.

Suspects are accused of taking part in the corruption scheme between 2009 and 2012.  If convicted, they could face up to five years in prison, reports PressTV.

The charges were the result of USKOK’s anti-corruption campaign “Hippocratus,” which launched in November 2012. 

This is the largest number of people who have been indicted in Croatia since it became an independent country in 1991. The 800-page indictment has been recorded in the National Library in Zagreb, reports Reuters.

Croatia joined the European Union in July after increasing anti-corruption efforts.