Friday, 20 October 2023
A mother and daughter, both pharmacists arrested in connection with prescription fraud, appeared at Nicosia District Court today, Yeniduzen reports.
The suspects, Z.Ç. and Ş.Ç., had been detained while police continued their investigation into the fraud.
The police stated that the suspects had been arrested on the grounds that they “issued prescriptions to their customers without their knowledge and forwarded them to the Social Security Office.
“Within the scope of the investigation launched on September 13, pharmacists Z.Ç. and Ş.Ç were arrested on October 16 for the crimes of “Forgery of Official Documents”, “Putting into circulation forged official documents”, “Laundering of Crime Proceeds” and “Procurement of Money and Goods by Fraud“.
Giving evidence in court, a police officer said that 12 statements were taken regarding Z.Ç’s investigation, that the suspects had sent 1,178 prescriptions to the Social Insurance Office between January and August, that 63 prescriptions out of 1,178 were examined, and that 47 prescriptions were found to be issued fraudulently.
Stating that the mother and daughter had sent a total of 4,509 prescriptions to the Social Security Office between January and August, the police stated that a total of 20 statements were taken for both suspects.The police stated that 240 medicine boxes with the barcodes removed were found during the searches carried out in Ş.
Police stated that during the searches made at Z.Ş.’s pharmacy, 15 drug boxes with the barcodes removed and many medicines, two calendars, one phone book, 17 stamps, 18 pieces of barcodes, one mobile phone and one computer were taken as evidence.
The police requested that the suspects be released on bail on the grounds that they would not influence the investigation.
Judge Zehra Bilgeç ruled that the suspects should be tried without detention, on the condition that a cash bail of 50,000 TL is deposited, two guarantors who are TRNC citizens sign a bond of 500,000TL each, and the suspects sign in at a police station once a week. The suspects’ IDs and passports were confiscated and they were banned from going abroad.
