Slovak Ministry of Health employee charged in 1.8 million euro fraud

Slovak police have charged an employee of the Ministry of Health for a large-scale fraud involving funds intended for mobile COVID-19 testing sites (MOMs). During the investigation, known as Operation Faktúra, the Office for Combating Organized Crime (ÚBOK) discovered that between March and December 2021, the suspect allegedly entered data from fraudulent invoices into the ministry’s accounting system.

While the invoices used the identification details of legitimate mobile testing site operators, the bank accounts provided belonged to different individuals. This mechanism allowed the system to automatically process payments that were diverted to unauthorized accounts. The total estimated loss to the Ministry of Health is approximately 1.78 million euros.

Former Health Minister Marek Krajčí responded to the news by noting that the alleged criminal activity occurred after his term ended in March 2021, during the tenure of his successor, Vladimír Lengvarský.