Innsbruck pair of pharmacists convicted of covid-drug fraud-diepresse.com

An Innsbruck pair of pharmacists at the regional court was sentenced to 18 months at the regional court for severe fraud or the contribution in connection with the Covid medication Paxlovid. The husband was accused of ordering the Federal Contingent as an assistant Paxlovid in the winter of 2022/2023 without prescribing and thus having sold parts indirectly to China. His wife, the pharmacist, is said to have been a contribution offender.

To make matters worse for the accused: they have to completely repay the damage of 1.5 million euros that the Republic of Austria had incurred by the actions. In addition, the woman assumed an unconditional fine of 10,800 euros, her husband over 1,440 euros. Also the Composite – This means the pharmacy as a company – was spoken guilty: judge Andrea Wegscheider and the Schöffensenat expressed a limited fine of 12,500 euros in this matter. All judgments were not legally binding for the time being.

Wegscheider argued the blends against the two defendants by the fact that they had « caused the damage together ». « It is alien to believe that the two -person defendant did not know what the medication was roughly worth, » said the presiding judge. His wife – the initial pharmacy owner – had at least partially knowledge of her husband’s orders: « But she decided to look away. »

Man « partly guilty », woman not

Previously, the husband had guilty in the negotiation, his wife made every fault. At the time, at the time as a pharmacy assistant with his wife, he had a Chinese acquaintance who asked him to be decidedly asked about Paxlovid « whether he could get it for him, » said the 56-year-old two-time defendant at the negotiation before judge Andrea Wegscheider and the lay judge. He replied with « yes » and finally simply ordered this medication in the pharmacy system, « he said. This was also so easy because the « system did not have a report about any prescription, » he said. The quantities have increased over time. « He also told me that he has relatives in China who are currently seriously ill, » reported the husband.

Note on prescription?

Her husband « probably did not register » what she explained to him in advance, on the other hand, said the first pharmacist’s 59-year-old pharmacist when she heard at the negotiation at the Innsbruck Regional Court. Because she clearly pointed out that « the submission of Paxlovid is subject to prescription, » she added. The woman also protected her husband to a certain extent: « He probably didn’t know what these medication is actually worth and that they are the property of the federal government. »

If he had known that, if he had probably not committed the now accused, the wife, who announced her husband after the incidents. There were discrepancies regarding the question of how often she spoke to her husband about the facts of the recipe and prescription obligation. The woman had spoken to the police in the course of determining several times, at the negotiation she only wanted to give a conversation before the first major orders for the Chinese customer. In any case, she, in any case, that she was not to blame: « I assumed that the matter was clarified after our conversation and also noticed anything of the orders he made. » When the wholesaler finally called and she pointed to the very large and unusual order quantities, she simply « hit the blow », explained the pharmacist. The woman had already allocated the allegation of the perpetrator in the course of the investigation.

Order 2500 packs of Paxlovid in ten days

According to the indictment, the resulting criminal damage was considerable: over 1.8 million euros, since the man finally ordered 2,500 packs of the Corona medication within ten working days in December 2022 and January 2023, as the prosecutor said in his opening plea. « It is a special medication because it was the property of the federal government and pharmacies only taxes, » said the public prosecutor. A prescription of a doctor was necessary for the order, the prosecutor stated.

When asked by a Chinese acquaintance, the two -defined pharmacy assistant had « ordered large quantities » without such medical prescriptions, the public prosecutor continued. « It is unclear whether the accused knew the real value of the drug, which amounts to 731 euros per pack, » he added. However, he could be assumed that he was out of a pack of a pack of around 400 euros and therefore still accepted damage of around one million euros, he emphasized. « Since he has offset the Chinese known money for the sale, an enrichment can also be assumed, » the prosecutor stood out.

Man is said to have put up to 40,000 euros

The defender of the two -person defendant assumed a sum of 30,000 to 40,000 euros, which the man did in his own pocket. « He just played the money because he was addicted to the game at the time, » he explained. In any case, his client feels « partly guilty » in this matter, since from his point of view he « damaged the pharmacy ». « However, he knew nothing of the true value of the medication and thus about the millions of damage he caused by his approach, » emphasized the defender.

How many packs the man had sold via his acquaintance to the Far East remained unclear in the negotiation. Apparently, however, 450 packs were returned after the medication supplier in early 2023 in the face of the nationwide failure and the unusually high delivery quantity at the Innsbruck pharmacy.

Even the Chinese customer of the two -person defendant, which was interrelated as a witness, could not really put light on the dark on this question. On the other hand, he reported that he did not order « a certain amount », but asked the pharmacy assistant to « order a lot as possible ». He did not know how to answer whether the wife of the two -person defendant the « scenes » following the orders – the Chinese mostly picked up the goods with a panel van. « But I don’t think so, » said the witness on multiple demand on the part of the public prosecutor. (APA)