The Accused in the 36-Million Oncology Case Walk Free on Bail - and Who Answers for the Patients?

Two former directors of the Oncology Clinic in Skopje, Nino Vasev and Nehad Nuhi, will defend themselves from freedom. The criminal court lifted their detention and replaced it with bail - property mortgages in favor of the state.

The figures aren't small. Vasev's bail was set at 183,981 euros, Nuhi's at 348,049 euros, both covered by mortgages on real estate. On top of that, the two may not leave their places of residence in Skopje, must report to the court once a month, have had their travel documents seized and may not cross the border. The prosecution, tellingly, did not appeal this decision - even though the detention could have been extended all the way to July 18.

Behind the whole case, known as "Oncology 2," lies a grave accusation: illegal procurement of medicines through fictitious tenders and the misappropriation of parts of therapies in the 2018-2022 period, with damage to the state budget estimated at over 36 million euros - that is, more than 2.2 billion denars. This is money that was supposed to go toward treating those who depend on the state most of all: cancer patients.

And here lies the question that no bail can cover. The mortgage returns property to the budget, but it doesn't return what was truly lost - the trust that the medicine will reach those who need it most. When people accused of 36 million in damage walk free on bail while the investigation drags on for years, the citizen rightly asks: how much is a single life worth in this accounting, and who in the end actually answers for it?