site.btaUPDATED Prosecution Investigates Suspected Irregularities in National Children's Hospital Construction

The Specialized Prosecution Office (SPO) has instituted pre-trial proceedings over suspected irregularities related to the construction of a national children's hospital, the prosecuting magistracy said here on Monday.

The investigation is looking into a Health Ministry official's alleged violation and dereliction of duty concerning the selection of a contractor for the hospital's construction through a public procurement procedure.

The alert came from former caretaker health minister Stoycho Katsarov last August. He claimed that 9 million leva had been transferred upfront without a legal basis to companies of Glavbolgarstroy Group, which wеre initially supposed to build the hospital.

A few days ago, Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov told the Internal Security and Public Order Committee that his Ministry was also probing Katsarov's statement.

SPO spokesman Hristo Krastev confirmed later at a briefing that Katsarov’s alert of August, 2021 was related to an advance payment of about 10 million leva for the construction of the hospital.

Prosecutor Krastev also said that a probe was commissioned by the Public Financial Inspection Agency. The supervising prosecutor in the case ruled that the results contained evidence of a crime in public office.

The investigation will question each of the health ministers who were involved in public procurement from 2019 to 2021.