After more than two years of investigations, the Steyr public prosecutor’s office has brought charges against two dentists – a pair of brothers – allegations of serious commercial fraud and grossly negligent or serious bodily harm. There are said to be 191 victims, a court spokeswoman confirmed.
The accused – two German brothers with Syrian roots – worked as dentists in the Steyr-Land district. The first accused is suspected of having cheated the then regional health insurance funds of Upper and Lower Austria and patients by a total of around 300,000 euros. He is said to have charged for services that he either did not perform at all or did not perform as stated.
Plastic temporaries instead of high-quality crowns
According to the indictment, the dentist promised 150 patients high-quality crowns, which were only temporary plastic. In 46 cases he apparently billed for treatments he had never performed. 25 patients are said to have been physically harmed: in eleven cases the charge is “only” grossly negligent bodily harm, in 14 there are serious physical consequences.
His brother, with whom the first accused worked together in another surgery, is on trial for nine cases of grossly negligent bodily harm and seven cases of serious bodily harm. The main defendant faces one to ten years in prison, his brother up to two years. According to the court spokeswoman, neither of them commented on the allegations or gave a final statement. Several victims have joined the proceedings as private parties. The trial date is still open, but in any case several days of negotiations are planned.
Insolvency proceedings had already been opened in March 2019 at the Steyr Regional Court for the two ordinations. The liabilities amounted to around 500,000 euros, the dental practices were closed after the allegations became known.
Source: Nachrichten
