An oncologist doctor with activity in Aveiro and the region was convicted this Tuesday at the Aveiro Court to a sentence of three years of suspended imprisonment, for continued fraud. The presiding judge stated that practically all the facts in the indictment were demonstrated, with the panel of judges having altered the legal qualification of the crimes. The medical services company of which the defendant was the manager, also accused, was acquitted.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the misappropriations resulted in an actual improper benefit of 450,300 euros, plus another 13,100 euros in attempted form. The Public Prosecutor's Office also requested conviction for forfeiture of the advantages obtained. The judge acknowledged that the defendant is integrated into society and that he is a doctor of recognized prestige, considering that the situation was isolated within the circumstances of service provision.
The criminal practice dates back to 2021, involving amounts charged in more than 30 cases corresponding to as many patients. The complaint came from ADSE, the public health system for public administration workers and retirees, after verifying reimbursement requests submitted by patients of the doctor's consultations that showed billing duplications for the same treatments, on the same days, and for the same patients, treated at a private hospital.
The doctor claimed, through his defense lawyer in the defense statement presented at the trial, that the medical acts in question were not confusable. The case had already been the subject of a previous journalistic piece, with the doctor responding for fraud at the Aveiro court.
