Plovdiv Court of Appeals Remands Woman Accused of Organising a Scheme to Embezzle Funds from the National Health Insurance Fund

The Plovdiv Court of Appeal has ruled that Prof. Mariela Geneva must remain in custody. She is alleged to have organised a scheme to defraud the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) through fake hospital admissions.

The court hearing was interrupted to allow a medical team to attend to the defendant after she became unwell while giving her statement. Following an examination by the emergency medical team, she asked for the proceedings to continue.

“My colleagues measured my blood pressure at 120/61, performed an electrocardiogram and recorded a minor abnormality, as well as a blood glucose level of 7.7. We discussed the treatment I am undergoing. I am fit to take part in the proceedings and want them to continue,” Prof. Geneva said. The court then resumed the hearing.

After clarifying her state of health, she went on to address the substance of the case. She said she accepted that she bore some responsibility for “the whole thing” and did not dispute it.

“I feel guilty not only in the sense of being punished, but also on a purely moral level. There is no doctor who could stand in a courtroom and feel no guilt, especially when there is a great deal of evidence, including evidence from colleagues with whom they have sat at the same table,” Geneva said. She nevertheless asked to be released on bail. In her final statement to the court, she said only: “Thank you.”

• Fictitious Hospitalisations Worth Over 3 Million Euros at the Rheumatology Clinic in Plovdiv—How Did the Scheme Work?

Prof. Geneva appealed against her continued detention after she resigned as head of the Rheumatology Clinic at St George University Hospital and as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Plovdiv Medical University. She submitted her ressignation while in the detention facility.

In court today, Prof. Geneva confirmed that fictitious hospital admissions had taken place. According to the prosecution, more than €3 million was fraudulently claimed from the National Health Insurance Fund through the scheme.