Officers of the National Centre against Organized Crime (NCOZ) carried out a raid on Thursday, 24 September 2026, at the headquarters of the General Health Insurance Company of the Czech Republic (VZP) and, according to Zdravotnický deník, at roughly ten pharmaceutical companies. Investigators conducted searches of homes and other premises.[1][2]
Detentions and suspicions
NCOZ spokesman Jaroslav Ibehej said that police detained three people and released them after the necessary procedures were completed, with no criminal prosecution initiated. The deputy regional public prosecutor for the Ústí nad Labem Region, Kateřina Doušová, confirmed that no one had been charged. According to Ibehej's press release, the case concerns suspected corrupt conduct linked to the unauthorized handling of health data from the insurance company.[1] The website Odkryto.cz reported that the case involves suspected theft of sensitive VZP data.[1][2]
The public prosecutor's office with jurisdiction over the case declined to provide further details given that the raid was still ongoing.[1]
Reactions
VZP spokeswoman Viktorie Plívová confirmed that law enforcement authorities had carried out actions at the insurance company's headquarters and said that both management and staff had given investigators full cooperation. She added that the insurance company is bound by confidentiality. Boehringer Ingelheim confirmed that NCOZ had carried out actions at its Prague headquarters in connection with an investigation concerning a third party. David Kolář, director of the Association of Innovative Pharmaceutical Industry, said the investigation did not concern the association's member companies but a third party, and that the companies were cooperating with the police.[1][2]
Earlier raid
NCOZ also raided VZP's headquarters in November 2025 over public procurement contracts. At that time it detained 19 people and charged 13 of them, among other things with bribery, accepting bribes, money laundering and tax evasion. In that case, VZP is considered the injured party.[1][2]
Chronology
- — Police carried out operations at the General Health Insurance Company (VZP) and at pharmaceutical firms. ČTK / České noviny iDNES.cz
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 25 September 2026
- iDNES.cz — 24 September 2026