Ex Bulgarian Health Minister Reiterates Innocence in Court

Crime | April 19, 2011, Tuesday // 12:49|  views

Former Health Minister, Bozhidar Nanev, is the first Minister from the GERB cabinet to be tried in a court of law. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's former Health Minister, Bozhidar Nanev, appeared Tuesday for the second court session in his trial on charges he concluded deals unfavorable for the State.

After the session, Nanev stated for the media he did not purchase the anti-viral flu medication from the UK National Health Services because the law did not allow such move.

Two employees of the Health Ministry took the witness stand Tuesday. The other defendant, Dimitrinka Nikolova, former Head of the Budget and Accounting Directorate at the Health Ministry, failed to appear and was fined BGN 200.

The magistrates agreed with the defense council request to ask the Health Ministry and the Executive Agency for Medications to submit information if the UK National Health Services have a license to sell anti-flu medication. The Health Ministry is also to list the lowest prices of this medication – Tamiflu and Relenza in October and November, 2009, and to present a pandemic plan, determining the percentage of the population for which anti-viral medication must be secured when there is an epidemic.

The Health Ministry must further present a report of the Agency for State Finance Inspection with the latter opinion on the case.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry is to collaborate with the Court to request from the UK National Health Services data about the expiration date of the medication offered to Bulgaria at the time, and if they have a license to import such medications in Bulgaria.

Nanev insists the expiration date was insufficient, while the final price would have been much higher when shipping cost and taxes were added.

The next session of the Sofia City Court is scheduled for June 7.

In July 2009, Nanev was appointed as the first Health Minister of the newly elected cabinet of the center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party. He resigned from the post at the end of March, 2010, after prosecutors indicted him for concluding deals unfavorable for the State by signing two contracts with the "Roche Bulgaria" company for the delivery of the antiviral medicine Tamiflu.

The contracts were approved on December 16, 2010 for 200 000 dozes of Tamiflu.

The damages for the Ministry are calculated at BGN 2 454 319.20, which is the difference between the price offered by the British National Health Services through the British Embassy in Sofia and the price negotiated by the Ministry with "Roche Bulgaria."

Nanev is the first Minister from the GERB cabinet to be tried in a court of law.

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Tags: Bozhidar Nanev, tamiflu, Roche, UK, National Health Services, Sofia City Court, GERB, Health Ministry, Relenza

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