A scheme for over 1 million euros. A financial pyramid in which dozens of Bulgarians believed. Ginka Borisova used her official position to convince people that they were participating in a financial program of the GERB party, Nova TV reports.
“It will turn out that this is the second Ruja Ignatova”. This is how a 70-year-old woman, mired in nearly 70,000 euros in loans, begins her story. In addition to her, her husband and her daughter are also in debt. These are just three of the more than 40 people who reported to the prosecutor's office that they had fallen victim to a financial pyramid scheme headed by Ginka Borisova.
Who is Ginka Borisova?
A 38-year-old woman who actually worked as a treasurer in the GERB party. Until last year, when a NOVA investigation showed that from her position she had convinced people that she was a high-ranking official responsible for the party's financial programs aimed at helping citizens.
After Tatyana Yordanova's investigation, the prosecutor's office indicted Ginka Borisova and she is now in custody.
These are the facts, and the victims' feelings are as follows: “I can describe her as a lady taken off the covers of a magazine. In the few times I have seen her, she was perfectly dressed. With long dresses to the floor, with heavy makeup, with a hairstyle. And her story is enchanting: “You won't have to worry. I'm here for you”, says one of the deceived.
”She introduced herself as a high-ranking official responsible for projects under European subsidies and repeatedly repeated that the party would cover the loans”, says a man who does not hide that Ginka often used her feminine charm and flirted with men in an attempt to keep them longer in the “program”.
Permanent arrest for the woman accused of a scheme for loan fraud for over 800 thousand euros
How did the scheme work?
People who carry with them dubious contracts concluded between them and the GERB party are telling about the fraud. According to these contracts, in order to participate in the financial program, they must withdraw loans. The commission they will receive is also determined based on the amount of the loan. According to the contracts, the victims were supposed to give the amount of the withdrawn loan to Ginka Borisova. She convinced them that the money would go to the party, and under this “financial program” GERB would cover their contributions to the banks every month.
Here is what one of the victims shared with Nova TV: There was no meeting at the party headquarters. When asked what gave him confidence that this was not some lie, the victim replied: "Ginka Borisova told us that everything was legal, that we were receiving a contract. It quotes that the GERB party with chairman Boyko Borisov authorized the said Ginka Borisova to represent the GERB party. The contract itself contains Mr. Borisov's personal identification number and personal data.
The pyramid collapses
„The GERB treasury is doing an annual closing. And you will excuse us”. This is what Ginka Borisova said to one of the women - one of all her excuses for delaying another installment to the bank.
„There were times when she didn't pick up the phone and she wrote to me: „I'm sending you my mother's phone number, you will contact her on all issues”. I call her mother, I write: "What's going on, where are you?". She replied: “Oh, Gincheto is on her deathbed, in the hospital, don't bother her at all, because she is very ill”, the victim recalls.
People tell how Ginka Borisova postponed the contributions every month, claiming that she would do it the next month, after a certain event, after she recovered or simply “another day”. However, that day never came.
The alibi, according to which the program is secret
The defrauded do not have the same profile. From people in their 20s to pensioners who do not believe that they will ever be able to repay the loans they have taken out. However, all the stories are similar in one thing: there was never a meeting in the party building, but only in the area around it, and the people who participated in the so-called “program” should have kept it a secret.
One of the young people who suffered from the scheme, asked why he did not do his research, both about Ginka Borisova and about the financial program itself, presented to him as a “program with European funds”. “Unfortunately, my research did not yield any results”, he says.
When asked if he had asked her then, because this financial program is ultimately secret, he replies: “I asked her. According to her, the goal is for specially selected people to be able to use the money. It was not for everyone. It is offered only to party sympathizers”.
With the same contract, a team goes to the victims' lawyer, Silvia Mincheva, to find out if she, as a lawyer, sees anything wrong with the document.
“It is established that the number of the power of attorney and the date indicated on the first page are not the same, as well as the registration number of the authorized signature of the chairman is not the same. The name of the notary is wrong. As a lawyer, when I look at the contract, I will establish that there is something suspicious. But an ordinary person can in no way doubt that this is a contract with which he will eventually be deceived,” says the lawyer.
“There are indeed such documents, the content and authenticity of which are the subject of research, but at this stage we have no data to believe that the party was officially involved or in any way knew at all about this activity carried out by its former employee,” said the spokesman for the Sofia District Prosecutor's Office Georgi Nikolov.
The party's position
The GERB party stated that they found out about Ginka Borisova's illegal activity from the first investigation, after which they immediately fired her.
Growth of the pyramid
Up until a point, people successfully covered their loans, as Ginka Borisova really paid out the promised funds. However, she asked them to include their relatives and acquaintances. This was the moment when people believed that the program really worked.
At this stage, however, Ginka had another request for them: “She started calling me to ask for a person, because she had a target that she had to fulfill with loans. This was her job in the party. “I beg you, find me a person. I urgently need it for tomorrow.” She burst into tears. To my great regret, I included a member of my family, my daughter. In addition to her, I included my husband. But, unfortunately, he left. He left and I was left with about 150 thousand”, says a woman who included more than 20 people in the pyramid, most of whom are her relatives. “In addition to myself, I included my daughter, my granddaughter and, to be fair, my husband. In total, my people are about 20 people. But the bad thing is that she also asked them for their acquaintances. We find that we are already over 100 people”, she says.
On this principle, Ginka Borisova has managed to keep the pyramid working and growing.
In this story around Ginka Borisova, coincidentally or not, the same names are circulating. The same beautician who sends her clients, the same drivers, the same credit consultants who accompany the people.
“Everything had to happen very quickly. To chase an hour, to look for certain employees at a certain time. The credit consultants are the same, as far as I know”, the man says with suspicion.
The prosecutor's office is continuing the investigation to establish whether there are others involved in the scheme, and what exactly the accusation against Ginka is. If it is proven that she forged documents, the charge would be more severe. The current punishment is between 1 and 8 years.