UK charges may speed up doctor graft probe
Several doctors at Greek state hospitals could come under closer scrutiny after the Serious Fraud Office in Britain charged a former executive of a US company that sold medical supplies here with bribing health professionals. Robert John Dougall, 44, a former vice president at DePuy International Ltd, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, was released on bail in London on Tuesday after being charged with conspiracy to corrupt. «The allegation concerns the practice of making corrupt payments and/or giving other inducements to medical professionals working in the Greek public healthcare system in relation to the supply of orthopedic products between February 2002 and December 2005,» said the Serious Fraud Office. The matter has also been under investigation in Greece but nobody has been charged yet. The developments in the UK may prompt the Greek probe to be stepped up.
