Five people, including two doctors, have been charged in Plovdiv over an alleged scheme that investigators say siphoned approximately 500,000 euros from Bulgaria’s National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) through fictitious physiotherapy procedures and fraudulent medical documentation.
The accused have been detained for 72 hours and face charges including participation in an organized criminal group, document fraud, money laundering, and large-scale financial crimes. Prosecutors have indicated they will seek longer detention measures. Authorities presented details of the investigation during a joint briefing involving the prosecutor’s office and the police.
According to investigators, the alleged scheme revolved around the reporting of rehabilitation and physiotherapy treatments that were either never performed or only partially carried out. Deputy District Prosecutor Dimitar Pehlivanov explained that patients were referred through clinical pathways that should have involved a seven-day treatment period and the completion of specific medical examinations. Instead, authorities claim fictitious referrals were issued and submitted to specialized rehabilitation facilities, allowing reimbursement claims to be sent to the Health Insurance Fund.
