People’s lives and health are at stake in cases of poor protective equipment, says Olaf’s chief.
Together with the police in several European countries are EU’S special unit to combat fraud (Olaf) right now in the process of unraveling more cases of illicit safeguards sold with fake and vildledende dokumenter.
Millions of bad masks and other corona protection products have already been made seized in the cases, says the unit’s chief, Ville Itälä.
The products with these fake certificates can be ineffective or even harmful to health. It’s not just aboutconsumer security, but also pharmacies, nursing homes and large institutional buyers such as hospitals or prisons, he says.
Bad masks on fake papers
DR News has along with media in the rest of Europe coordinated Through the international journalism collaboration OCCRP has spent the past few months digging the Danish and European health authorities’ billions of purchases of protective equipment in China.
To be able to sell masks and mouthwashes in EU the protective equipment must meet stringent quality requirements and have a certificate issued by an approved European testing institute.
But the uncovering of the market has shown that a wave of bad masks with counterfeit and misleadingcertificates have found their way to Europe and have been purchased for millions of kroner from regions in Denmark.
