Zanola is charged with having been the alleged head of an illegal association dedicated to selling fake or tampered medicines.
The Federal Court ordered the head of the bank clerks union Juan José Zanola to be released on bail today. Zanola is investigated in an alleged tampered medicine case in what has become known as the fake medicine mafia.
Zanola was arrested with his wife, Paula Aballay on the morning of November 30, 2009, at his Recoleta apartment. Zanola is charged with having been the alleged head of an illegal association dedicated to selling fake or tampered medicines that were provided to members of the banking union.
He is also accused of supplying fake medicine and defrauding the state as it is alleged that the union leader drafted fake medical reports in order to charge the Health Ministry for medicine and treatments that never occurred.
Zanola reached his second anniversary of being held in custody, which is the maximum allowed by the law, and is to be released on bail.
Zanola’s wife, Aballay, and her second-in-command at the Banking Polyclinic, Susana Fiona, were also imprisoned on the same charges, along with Néstor Lorenzo, the owner of the San Javier pharmacy where the drugs were allegedly stored and distributed.
Aballay is also to be set free on the same grounds. Judge Norberto Oyarbide is expected to set bail.
buenosairesherald.com