Sat, Feb 11 2012

Controversy surrounds Bulgarian health minister’s US trip

Thu, Jan 21 2010 10:25 CET

byThe Sofia Echo Staff

1453 Views 5 Comments
Controversy surrounds Bulgarian health minister’s US trip

Bulgarian Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev, left, and Prime Minister Boiko Borissov.

Photo: Georgi Kozhouharov

Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (SANS) is checking documentation to establish whether a November 2009 trip to the United States by Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev and senior officials that was hosted by a US-based company involved a conflict of interest, Nanev said.
 
The company paid for the air fares and accommodation of Nanev, the head of the Transplants Agency Teodora Djaleva and Roumen Hichev, a member of the Euro-Atlantic Transplant Alliance and an executive in the Bulgarian subsidiary of the US firm, as well as Luchezar Ivanov, an MP for ruling party GERB.
 
Nanev said that if SANS found any evidence of a conflict of interest, he was prepared to resign, Bulgarian-language media reported on January 20 2010.
 
Earlier in January, Bulgarian-language daily Novinar said that an investigation into the trip had been ordered by Prime Minister Boiko Borissov.
 
The newspaper quoted Borissov as saying that he would show no mercy if the agency or prosecutors found evidence of impropriety.
 
The Novinar report said that the trip had been paid for by the Euro-Atlantic Transplant Alliance and the Americans of Bulgarian Descent Federation, which was founded by Hichev.
 

  • Print
  • Send via email
  • Translate to
  • Share:

Comments

Anonymous question Thu, Jan 28 2010 00:58 CET
Report Comment

Dear SC,

Are you writing on behalf of OSTEOCENTRE.ORG?

Anonymous SC Fri, Jan 22 2010 13:27 CET
Report Comment

P.S.
What also seems to have been forgotten in this whole mess is that the company that the Bulgarian Govt. wants to investigate has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the surgical treatment of spinal disorders in Bulgaria that were done this year and last year. Again focusing on just the negative and not the positive. One day all of these foreign companies will just leave Bulgaria because they don't need the agravation of dealing with corrupt political officals just looking for a bribe so they can remain in business. Wake up people and don't always believe [...]

 Read the full comment what you read. What will Bulgaria do if they all left? It would turn into a third world country.
I can't put it any more plainer then this to all of you looking to profit from this company, there is nothing ilegal, unethical or anything going on, so go find your next car payments somewhere else. Your wasting your time and efforts.

Anonymous SC Fri, Jan 22 2010 12:10 CET
Report Comment

This is why BG will never progress into the 21st century, the Minister goes to the states to check out a legitiment company that does great things for the Bulgarian people and he is on the hot seat. The fact that Bulgaria and the States have a partnership in the field of transplantation which sounds to me would fall under the job of the Health Minister, to see this company and make sure they are a professional program and that the Bulgarian people are not at any risk. But only in Bulgaria would someone try to find something bad in [...]

 Read the full comment this trip. It is just amazing to me that the mentality of some people, including MP's is that of just trying to find fault. He went to the states, he made a visit to the company and it didn't cost the tax payers a thing yet they still complain. I say there is no need to resign, you were just doing your job and you have done more then any other Health Minister on this issue in the past, so keep your job and Mr. Prime Minister, he did nothing wrong, let it go and to all of the people that are against this program, stop trying to buy information on this program to try to remove them, it won't happen. It's time to move on.

Anonymous Valeri Thu, Jan 21 2010 20:44 CET
Report Comment

Looks like a serious case of hangover...

Anonymous K.W. Thu, Jan 21 2010 10:58 CET
Report Comment

The health minister doesn't look to healthy.


To post comments, please, Login or Register.


Please read the The Sofia Echo forum comments policy.

Bitter medicine

In a historic move, prosecutors press charges against a minister in office who resigned hours later

Bulgaria's Health Minister resigns after being charged by prosecutors

In a statement on Health Ministry's website, Bozhidar Nanev said that he had decided to step down despite his opinion that the charges against him were "completely unfounded".

Bulgarian ministers cleared of conflict of interest allegations

All ministers have left their respective private sector positions in the required period, Parliament decides

Bone of contention

Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev’s visit to the US raises new questions about Bulgaria’s conflict of interest test

Borissov will meet doctors over funding crisis

Boiko Borissov will hold talks with hospitals directors and representatives from emergency medical facilities nationwide.

Health check

Health care reform proposals are hotly debated in Bulgaria, but are the right questions being asked?

Bulgaria's health sector to receive additional 350M leva in funding

The Bulgarian health sector is poised to receive a much-needed financial boost of 350 million leva, according to a memorandum on November 17, signed by the ruling GERB party, the Blue Coalition, Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov and Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev

Health Minister: Hospitals will have to close

Nanev says that hospitals have been siphoning off state funds

More in this category

US embassy in Sofia announces youth essay contest

Works will be reviewed by a group of judges, and winners will receive certificates and prizes.

Bulgarian police bust drug distribution gang in ‘Operation Hammer’

Seven arrested, including ‘The Squirrel’ who was found in possession of 10 00 euro, Interior Ministry says. Mobile phones, computer equipment and drug paraphernalia seized.

Bulgaria’s winter weekend weather – cloudy and cold with light snow

Maximum temperatures across the country will remain mostly below zero.

Mild earth tremors in Bulgaria on February 10

The first tremor was at about 12.34am, followed by another three minutes later. Their epicentres were located between the towns of Radnevo and Topolovgrad.

Bulgaria halts electricity exports after power plant accident

There was no risk of blackouts caused by insufficient power supply, Economy Minister Traicho Traikov told Bulgarian National Radio.

© 2000-2012, Sofia Echo Media Ltd.

Web Design by RIZN

Sofia Echo Media is part of the Economedia Group.
The news and information content on this website is provided by our editorial team and is copyrighted. Any unauthorised reproduction or use of it is strictly forbidden. Reproduction of this website's content is permitted only with prior written permission from the Editor-in-Chief, should be propertly acredited and provide an active link back to our site. Comments posted by the website's visitors are independent of the editorial materials and do not represent the views of sofiaecho.com. Sofia Echo Media cannot be held responsible for the statements contained in visitor comments. The percentаge change in the shares' prices are based on the price of the last transaction of the current session compared to the price of the last transaction of the previous session. Bulgarian Stock Exchange data is not real-time, but updated every 15 minutes, and should not be used as a basis for decisions about buying or selling stock options.