Arezzo. Scandal of the punches, the maid speaks: "Here's what happened in the pharmacy"

"I haven't stolen anything, neither my husband or I have ever been arrested"

Arezzo, 16 December 2014 – THE NATION

"I was not arrested, neither I nor my partner. And I strongly claim to have helped to dismantle the scam of the punches». She, 47 years old, Romanian for a long time in Italy, is the maid who, with her complaint to the Guardia di Finanza, triggered the investigation which led to six people under investigation: two pharmacists from Monte San Savino (husband and wife), his father (for destruction of medicines), three compliant doctors. Here is the story of the maid: «I worked for ten years in the service of that family, both in the home and in the pharmacy. But on May 28, 2013 I was reported by the owner who accused me of having stolen money for about ninety thousand euros from the villa's safe. However, I am not aware that that safe was broken into and I, on the other hand, have never used the keys to open it. I swear, I hadn't stolen anything but that accusation ruined my life and my partner's, we still drag it around and it's one of the reasons why we haven't found work anymore and we are therefore in a difficult economic situation, even under eviction. We were also forced to move from Monte San Savino to Arezzo because the air had become unbearable there».

The maid, who had also obtained a degree in history in Romania and is therefore far from naive, matured the decision to collaborate with the justice in this context: «I realized that strange things had been happening for some time and inside me the determination to denounce them was growing. The theft charge against me has overflowed the vase. On June 6, 2013, I visited the Guardia di Finanza in Arezzo and told everything I knew. The rest was discovered by the financiers».

The companion adds: «I too have worked for pharmacists and sometimes I have transported sacks of medicines to a piece of land, but I didn't know what it was. I didn't know that medicines without punches would be burned. Then I reconnected and realized that I had been an involuntary instrument of this operation». «It is a story that marked me deeply and from which I have not yet recovered. The complaint that the pharmacist had made to us for the theft never resulted in an arrest, I want to underline this with my head held high even in front of people who know me. But the judicial process went ahead and the new trial hearing, I hope the last one, was set for July 7, 2015. I have faith in justice, I have done nothing".

The scandal of the punches and false recipes has caused a lot of talk these days. The theater of this provincial story starring a wealthy family, doctors, a Romanian maid and her Slavic companion is Monte San Savino, to be precise, a centrally located pharmacy where, according to the Guardia di Finanza, the scam is organised. The Fiamme Gialle have seized a thousand drugs without punches, denouncing the 5 who have allegedly deceived the national health service for years.

Scam on diapers, police blitz. Asp official and 4 pharmacists in handcuffs

A camera placed inside an office of the rehabilitation department reveals the big scam. The investigations started from a complaint by the commissioner of the health company. False authorizations also made out to dead or elderly people who emigrated abroad

by SALVO PALAZZOLO – R.it Palermo – 15 December 2014

An official of the Asp Palermo authorized non-existent patients to collect incontinence pads and passed the documents to four pharmacists, who then asked for generous reimbursements from the health company. Like they actually delivered those diapers. The scam was discovered by the extraordinary commissioner of the ASP, Antonino Candela, who presented a complaint. The investigations by the carabinieri of the judicial police section of the prosecutor's office led to a blitz tonight. In Palermo, Pietro Li Sacchi, employee of the H office of the ASP Rehabilitation Department ended up in handcuffs; Giuseppe Pepe, owner of the "Trossarelli" pharmacy in via Francesco Paolo Perez; Gaetano Sirchia, owner of the "Del Vespro" pharmacy in Corso Tukory; Diego Genovese, owner of the pharmacy of the same name also in corso Tukory and Andrea Lo Iacono, owner of the parapharmacy in via Carlo Pisacane. The carabinieri also arrested Giuseppe Villano, who acted as a liaison between the ASP official and the pharmacists. The precautionary custody order, signed by judge Nicola Aiello, denies all the accusations of defrauding the state and false ideology.

The deputy prosecutors Enrico Bologna and Daniela Varone framed the unfaithful ASP official by placing a video camera in his office, which is located inside the Guadagna hospital. Thus, the carabinieri were able to follow the stages of the scam live. In the images that Repubblica.it shows exclusively, Li Sacchi can be seen preparing the false authorizations: he takes the names of some assisted patients from the ASP archive, changes the date of birth and documents. Above all, pathology changes. He affixes stamps and then fake signatures. Finally, he prints out the permits and puts them in his pocket. At other times, Li Sacchi took the names of patients who died or who emigrated abroad for some time.

In other images, the carabinieri filmed Giuseppe Villano as he goes to the pharmacies and delivers the false authorizations. A few minutes later he comes out with packs of diapers that he loads into his car. The investigations discovered that the false authorizations referred not only to incontinence pads, but also to products for celiacs. For some time, the Asp had now blocked payments, giving the most diverse excuses, so as not to reveal the ongoing investigations. But the pharmacists hadn't resigned, someone had also filed a complaint with the prosecutor and even an injunction against the health company. The carabinieri arrived first. And now the investigation continues.

Palermo, scam on diapers: the interceptions of the carabinieri

Related news: Arezzo. Fraud against the NHS. Seized drugs without punches. 3 doctors and 2 pharmacists reported.

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