Bulgaria, Germany: Ex Agriculture Fund CEO Forged Diploma

Kalina Ilieva from the Bulgarian Agriculture Fund has insolently presented a fake diploma for a master's degree from the Berlin Institute of Technology. Photo by BGNES

Former Executive Director of the Bulgarian Agriculture Fund, Kalina Ilieva, has forged her diploma from the Berlin Institute of Technology, the agriculture ministry announced, confirming media reports.

Speaking from Qatar, where he is paying an official visit, Agriculture and Foods Minister Miroslav Naydenov said a probe was launched into the allegation with the assistance of Bulgaria's Ambassador to Berlin Ivo Petrov, Germany's envoy in Sofia Matthias Hoepfner and the administrative secretary of the Berlin Institute of Technology.

"Unfortunately our conversations with them confirmed media reports that the diploma has been forged," Minister Naydenov said, as cited by the press office of his department.

Local "168 Chassa" weekly first broke the scandalous news, citing officials from the institute, who stated that Ilieva not only does not have a Master's degree, but was even expelled from the university because she did not attend her exams.

The Bulgarian weekly reported that the discrepancy was discovered after the Bulgarian Education Ministry sent a request to the Berlin Institute with attached documents for Ilieva's master's degree, presented by her in Sofia.

The officials from the Berlin Institute of Technology have told the Bulgarian newspaper that they will alarm the police and authorities in Sofia and Brussels. They have suggested that Ilieva had forged the signature of the president and the stamp of the institute.

"168 Chassa" pointed out that the former executive director of the Bulgarian Agriculture Fund had not returned any phone calls and questions about her fake diploma.

In October, Ilieva was dismissed from her position after it was revealed that she was pregnant and had to go on maternity leave.

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