Serbian Interior Ministry: Four held over fake birth certificates intended to claim Bulgarian citizenship
Anti-corruption officials at Serbia’s Interior Ministry have arrested four people in connection with alleged crimes including the issuing of false birth certificates to be used to claim Bulgarian citizenship, the ministry said on November 1.
The statement listed four people, by their initials only, one of whom was employed at the city administration of Pirot, while another was a doctor.
The allegations include the issuing of medical certificates to people from Serbia although they had not undergone medical examinations.
The statement said that the Pirot city administration official had instigated the others in a scheme by which false birth certificates were issued, stating place of birth as Bulgaria, to be used to apply for Bulgarian citizenship.
The suspects are in 48-hour custody pending being taken to prosecutors to be formally charged, Serbia’s Interior Ministry said.
The announcement came a few days after it emerged that the head of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, Petar Haralampiev, and others were to face criminal charges related to alleged false certification of Bulgarian origin.
Prosecutors in Bulgaria allege Haralampiev and others were involved in selling such certificates of origin to nationals of Macedonia, Moldova and Ukraine to be used in applications for Bulgarian citizenship.
It is not publicly known if there is any connection between the two cases.
(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
