Former Minister of Health, Ilir Beqaj, appeared today in a court session at the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime and ironized the charges against him, for a structured criminal group. He said that the prosecution did not investigate the contract procedure for the sterilization issue.

"I feel like I'm going to say something that's not part of the procedure. The contract we're here for ends on March 8. I would like you to go and see for yourself the reality of the contract. The prosecutors never did. Because according to them, we became a three-person criminal group just to steal. It's an invitation, nothing more. It ends in three weeks and then it makes no sense," Beqaj said before the court.

He hinted that, according to him, the investigation is unfounded on concrete verification of the implementation of the contract on the ground, denying the accusations leveled against him.

The hearing was postponed to another date, as both of the former minister's defense lawyers were absent from the courtroom.