Senior official of the Ministry of Health, Joana Duro, sentenced to 4 years in prison for bribery

 Joana Duro first right, source: A2CNN

 The Special Court has announced its decision regarding the former Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Joana Duro. Duro has been sentenced to four years in prison. The sentence was reduced to two years and eight months due to the expedited trial process. As part of the sentencing, Duro has also been given an additional punishment of a five-year ban from public office.

Duro's co-defendants, Laura Shteto, Valdimir Topi, and Silvi Shehi were each sentenced to one year in prison. However, due to the expedited trial process, they were ultimately sentenced to eight months each shqiptarja.com.

It's important to remember that Duro was accused by the Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Structure (SPAK) of accepting a bribe of 330,000 lek. This was allegedly in order to favor a company in a tendering procedure for the supervision of the reconstruction of several health centers in Tirana and Durres.

The corruption scandal has sparked significant attention and concern, shedding light on the potential misuse of public office for personal gain. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and accountability in public service, as well as the need for rigorous judicial processes to ensure justice is served.