THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC - RICH SOIL FOR THE CORRUPTION.

THIS PAPER AIMS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE PANDEMIC OF COVID-19, WHICH HAS AFFECTED THE WHOLE WORLD AND AT ALL LEVELS, WAS IN FACT AN UMBRELLA UNDER WHICH CORRUPTION FOUND "FERTILE GROUND" TO FLOURISH. WE REFER HERE IN PARTICULAR TO CORRUPTION IN THE MEDICAL SYSTEM, WHICH, THROUGH THE PURCHASE OF "COVID-19 PRODUCTS" AT PRICES FAR ABOVE THE NORMAL LIMIT AT THE TIME, LED TO THE ENRICHMENT OF SOME AND THE IMPOVERISHMENT OF OTHERS. THUS, EXAMPLES OF COMPANIES, WHICH DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC DID NOT COMPLY WITH THE RULES RECOMMENDED BY GRECO PRESIDENT MARIN MRČELA, ARE BROUGHT TO ATTENTION THROUGH A PUBLICATION FINANCED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION AND SPECIAL REPORTS OF THE COURT OF AUDITORS. AFTER RESEARCHING OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS, BOTH BEST PRACTICES, CORRUPTION RISK ASSESSMENT AND INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM, AS WELL AS THOSE CONTAINED IN THE CASE STUDY, WE CAME TO THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSION, THE STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED IN MARCH 2020 HAS FOSTERED CORRUPTION, GRAND CORRUPTION AT THE LEVEL OF POLITICS, BUT ALSO PETTY CORRUPTION AT THE LEVEL OF HEALTH SERVICES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]