Nine Arrested in R$12 Million Public Health Fraud Probe in Bahia and Piauí

Overview

• Police say a network of doctors, a councilor, and two former municipal health secretaries diverted more than R$12 million through shell clinics and inflated contracts.
• Search and seizure warrants in Formosa do Rio Preto (BA) and in Corrente and Bom Jesus (PI) led to nine arrests with teams still processing materials taken from targeted sites.
• Authorities blocked bank accounts and seized assets tied to suspects and three clinics to secure resources pending forensic analysis.
• Investigators report fictitious shifts, incompatible exam entries, inconsistent patient lists, and invoices used to disguise services that were never performed.
• A doctor and an assistant detained in Bom Jesus were ordered into preventive custody, according to regional police, as Phase 2 builds on evidence seized in December 2024.