Bulgarian Bishop Exposed as Tissue Bank Board Member

Stara Zagora Bishop Galaktion has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Tissue Bank "Osteocenter Bulgaria" for more than one year.

The information was first made available Wednesday, when the President of the "Podkrepa" (Support) labor union, Konstantin Trenchev, hinted he had information about a senior cleric involved in this business.

"Can a bishop participate with shares in some company dealing with organ transplants? We checked who is involved in what companies with their real names because they have religious names as well. But it is not yet time to say who he is; let's put the whole truth on the table. We want our Church to have worthy servants, whose example others will follow," said the labor union leader.

A check of names in the information system DAXI showed that the individual in question was Bishop Galaktion, the largest private TV channel bTV and "24 Chassa" (24 Hours) daily reported.

Evidence suggests that on November 21 2007, the Sofia City Court had listed Galaktion Lyubenov Tabakov as a member of the Board of Directors of the Tissue Bank. This is a combination of the Bishop's ecclesiastical and secular name, which is Georgi Lyubenov Tabakov.

The information was confirmed by the head of the Tissue Bank, Dr. Rumen Hichev, who said he did not remember how it came to attracting the senior cleric to business. Hichev was adamant that the Bishop had not taken a penny, only advised the Management Board on the religious aspects of organ donation.

After the tissue bank was shaken by scandals, the Bishop himself had given up on it. It collected corneas, tendons and bone material, which was cultivated and transplanted in patients, but was accused of dealing with cadavers. Today it has changed its status – it is no longer part of the company "Osteotech" and acts as an NGO.

On the other hand-side, in July 2010, Bulgarian tissue bank "Osteocenter Bulgaria" was nominated for the prestigious International Star Award for Quality presented by Business Initiative Directions Awards.

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