The full path of the 3,060,000 euros, which the prosecutor's office claims were illegally paid by the NHIF, has not yet been publicly traced to the last payment. So far, data indicates that the money was not transferred to one recipient at once, but was returned to participants in the scheme through internal distribution of remuneration.
The investigation is for the period from 2021 to October 1, 2026 and is related to the Rheumatology Clinic of the University Hospital "St. George" in Plovdiv. According to the prosecution, over three years, the NHIF paid the hospital about 12 million euros through clinical pathways, with 3,060,000 euros being illegally obtained through fictitious hospitalizations.
The money went through salaries and bonuses
“About 40% of these funds were given to the clinic itself and from there distributed as salaries“, said the deputy district prosecutor of Plovdiv Dimitar Pehlivanov. According to him, the doctors who, according to the prosecution, participated in the scheme received between 6,000 and 7,000 euros per month. The doctors who did not accept fictitious patients were rewarded with about 1,500 euros.
This explanation outlines the main direction of the financial investigation, but does not provide an answer to how the entire amount was distributed. It has not been publicly announced how much was received from specific defendants, how much remained in the hospital budget, and whether intermediaries or related companies were used.
How the scheme worked
According to the prosecutor's office, about 5,000 referrals for hospitalization were issued through a medical center affiliated with the head of the clinic, Prof. Mariela Geneva-Popova. Investigators claim that some people did not visit the clinic or only stayed for blood tests.
The clinic has 49 beds, but about 24,000 referrals were recorded for the period under investigation. The operation identified 15 vacant beds that were occupied according to documents. According to the prosecutor's office, real patients were discharged prematurely to make room for the next clinical pathway. In some cases, doctors, orderlies and nurses donated their own blood instead of patients, the prosecution claims.
Properties do not provide a ready answer
Publicly verified property data does not show the acquisition of property worth millions of euros within the period under investigation. Prof. Geneva-Popova and her husband own properties purchased before 2021, including a home in Plovdiv, a pharmacy in Pazardzhik and a studio in Sunny Beach.
In May 2021, they bought an apartment of 145.56 square meters in the area of the Medical University of Plovdiv for 205,471 leva. This is the most significant publicly stated transaction of the family in the period under review, but in itself does not connect the property to the funds under investigation.
On October 7, the court left Prof. Mariela Geneva-Popova in custody, and accountant Adrian Belov was released on bail of 10,000 euros. The remaining defendants have cash bail. The prosecutor's office said it would take action to secure the alleged damages. Whether and how much of the amount can be recovered will depend on the tracking of financial flows and the outcome of the criminal proceedings.
Sources: bntnews.bg, btvnovinite.bg, trafficnews.bg