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North Macedonia hospital legal developments

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2026-10-31 13:56 UTC → 2026-11-01 12:46 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Legal proceedings involving medical facilities in North Macedonia have seen significant developments. In a major police operation targeting healthcare fraud, authorities arrested Bilal Kara, owner of the Sante Plus hospital group, and former director Geriana Arapi. Kara, a Turkish businessman and honorary consul of North Macedonia in Izmir, was also wanted by Albanian authorities for suspected financial fraud and document falsification related to the International Medicare Hospital in Tirana. Authorities allege a scheme where the private clinic double-billed for eye surgeries, charging patients private fees while simultaneously claiming reimbursements from the Health Insurance Fund. Investigations suggest between 3,000 and 4,000 patients may have been affected, with an estimated 1.7 million euros in damage to the Health Insurance Fund and roughly 4.25 million euros in illegal profits gained by the hospital between 2022 and 2025. The operation also led to the detention of eight other individuals, including former officials from the Health Insurance Fund, and the seizure of approximately 50,000 euros and suspected expired medications. However, Kara has since denied reports of his arrest. In a video addressed to the media, he stated that the reports are untrue and that he remains free to continue his professional activities. While acknowledging an ongoing investigation regarding the European Eye Hospital, Kara claimed he has not been taken into custody and expressed a commitment to cooperating with North Macedonian authorities. Separately, the Supreme Court of North Macedonia annulled the convictions of former clinical hospital directors Florin Besimi and Artan Etemi regarding a 2021 fire at a modular hospital in Tetovo that resulted in 14 deaths and 12 injuries. The court overturned previous three-year prison sentences, citing a failure by lower courts to establish a sufficient causal link between the defendants' actions and the tragedy. The court noted deficiencies in analyzing how the defendants contributed to the fire and highlighted discrepancies in expert findings, including a German expert report that could not definitively determine the fire's cause. The case has been returned to the Basic Court of Tetovo for retrial.

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