Bulgaria Ruling Party Member Out of Key Posts

Genoveva Aleksieva has repeatedly said she has abided by the laws in all her actions and was "stunned" and "terrified" by the allegations. Photo by BGNES

The executive body of Bulgaria's ruling party GERB has accepted the resignation of Genoveva Aleksieva as deputy chair of two parliamentary committees after she was tangled in scandal over alleged conflicts of interest.

"Alexieva resignation from the leading posts is in the interest of the parliament and GERB," says a statement of the party executive commission.

Last month Genoveva Aleksieva was implicated in two scandals. The first included revelations she was a member of the Specialized Scientific Council of Ophthalmology that has assessed her own daughter in a competition for associate professors and was allowed to cast a vote. The daughter, who was not ranked first during the preliminary selection round, ended the winner after the Council's secret vote.

Initially, Aleksieva declared the report was a "manipulation" and a "lie." In her words, the goal was to smear her name, as well as the name of GERB, having suggested that the new ruling party was "making shady affairs" like the others.

In the second scandal the MP was accused by a fellow ophthalmologist, Prof. Pravoslava Guguchkova of draining funds from the Health Insurance Fund.

In an interview for the Bulgarian daily "Trud" (Labor), Guguchkova insisted the MP has used her influence to slate separate funds for the condition known as "lazy eye" in children while the Health Insurance Fund (NZOK) already pays for it through another insurance path. She further said "lazy eye" is treated only through homecare and months- and years-long exercises, while any other cure would be considered ridiculous in medical circles, pointing out Aleksieva has a private ophthalmology clinic for children, which works with NZOK.

Aleksieva's resignation came only about a month since another GERB MP vacated the post of Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Health Committee and was replaced by her. Plamen Tsekov had to leave after another lobbyist scandal involving an amendment to the Law on Drug Substances which appeared in the State Gazette without the President's signature or a vote on the part of Parliament.

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