Bulgaria's Ex Deputy Health Minister Charged with Malfeasance

Bulgaria's former deputy health minister Emil Rainov is faced with charges of trading in influence, photo by BGNES

The Sofia City Prosecutor has raised charges against Bulgaria’s former deputy health minister, the head of the National Health Insurance Fund and a member of the National Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

On Monday Bulgaria’s ex Deputy Health Minister Emil Rainov was accused of trading in influence while two charges on misuse of power were raised against the acting head of the National Health Insurance Fund, Zheni Nacheva.

Veladin Bitolski, a member of the National Council of BSP and a former head of the Cabinet of Bulgaria's Ex Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev, was charged with bribery, media reports said.

Together with Rainov he’s said to have blackmailed Tihomir Kamenov, the owner of Bulgaria’s biggest medicine distribution firm “Trade League”.

Last year in February, in an interview for the International Herald Tribune, Kamenov revealed that the then Minister Rainov had asked him for a monthly bribe of about EUR 3 M.

In 2009, Bulgarian police searched the homes of 11 officials from the Health Ministry, the National Health Insurance Fund, and the Bulgarian Drug Agency on suspicion that illegal medicine deals had been carried out in the three institutions.

Rainov’s home was also searched but the Bulgarian authorities did not disclose any information then.

In March 2010 Bulgaria’s Health Minster Bozhidar Nanev was also charged by the Sofia City Prosecutor with concluding two unfavorable for the State deals for the purchase of the anti-viral flu medicine Tamiflu. Nanev denied the charges but resigned from the post.

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