site.btaNo Corrupt Practices Carried Out in Pirogov Hospital Between July 2022 and 2023

The Public Financial Inspection Agency (PFIA) has found no evidence of criminal or corrupt practices at Sofia's Pirogov Emergency Hospital conducted between July 2022 and July 2023, the hospital announced on Wednesday. The emergency hospital referred to the findings of a 93-page report, which said there was no evidence of crime, malpractice, corrupt practices and/or damage for the specified period.

The PFIA audit was initiated by the Minister of Health Hristo Hinkov, as well as the management of the Pirogov Hospital. Four administrative violations have been issued as a result of the report. Three of them concern a delay of several days in uploading information to a specialized information system. PFIA's code defines such a delay as minor, the hospital said. The fourth violation is regarding the purchase of medical supplies, when no tender had been conducted by the previous management, and a new tender procedure was not completed. The management completed the purchase in a situation of extreme necessity, as the hospital operates 24/7 to treat the most severe cases from across the country. According to the Administrative Violations and Sanctions Act, acts committed in cases of imminent defence or extreme necessity shall not be considered administrative offences.

The Pirogov Hospital said that they are waiting to see whether, based on these findings, Hinkov will withdraw his decision to change the hospital management, arguing that financial abuses and crimes have been committed.

Hinkov told the Bulgarian National Television in early December 2023 that he will tender his resignation, if the accusations in the report on Pirogov were found to have been fabricated by the experts who wrote the report.

Pirogov Emergency Hospital Director Valentin Dimitrov was dismissed on December 5 after the Health Minister said that an audit carried out at the hospital for June 2022 - July 2023 showed financial irregularities, and that Pirogov was in a poor financial state. On December 7, Dimitrov told journalists that this year the hospital was making profit.