| Libyan Prosecutor: Palestinian Doctor Who Infected 438 Libyan Children with HIV Granted Bulgarian citizenship as Part of a Deal to Join the Plot 20/06/2007 17:58:00 | ||
| Photo: This previously unpublished photo shows the number one convicted Bulgarian nurse Christiana Valcheva, Center, in a compromising situation with a group of friends on a Libyan beach. The court records show the Palestinian doctor had confessed that he had sexual relationship with Valcheva and other nurses.Speaking at the Libyan Supreme court, which reviewed the final appeal of five convicted Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor on Wednesday, the Libyan prosecutor said the decision by Bulgaria’s government to grant citizenship to the convicted Palestinian doctor was part of a deal he made with the number one defendant nurse Christiana Valcheva in exchange for playing an important role in infecting 439 Libyan children with HIV.On Tuesday 19 June 2007 Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin said that Ashraf Juma Hajuj has been a Bulgarian citizen “since last week” and that “all the procedures have been accomplished”, reported AFP.According to the criminal investigation records, Ms. Valcheva recruited doctor Ashraf Juma Hajuj to the plot of systematically infected the Libyan children with HIV with the promise of cash payments (half million US dollars), Bulgarian citizenship, to enable him to marry a Bulgarian girl of his choice and getting a post-graduated studies at any university he wanted.On Wednesday, the Libyan prosecutor said the decision by the Bulgarian government to grant Hajuj Bulgarian citizenship was in fact a fulfillment of that deal which was struck around the year 1998.According to the investigation, Hajuj, after receiving the first $5000 installment from Valcheva, was ordered by her to recruit other Bulgarian nurses to the criminal team and he successfully did just that. He first recruited the convicted nurses Nasya Nenova and Valentina Siropolu, then he recruited Valia Cherveniashka and Snezhana Dimitrova.Hajuj, according to the investigation, supervised the process of infecting the Libyan children at the previously designated wards at Benghazi Children Hospital.Responding to the prosecutor’s statement, the defense lawyer Tuhami Tumi denied in the court of law on Wednesday that the Bulgarian government did not grant Hajuj citizenship and what had been reported was baseless news reports.Kalfin said Hajuj applied for Bulgarian nationality two years ago, as it would allow his extradition to Bulgaria together with the nurses in the event of a favourable development of their case.Hajuj’s family, which fled Libya after his arrest and settled in the Netherlands, has been granted Dutch citizenship.But the foreign minister said the doctor preferred to apply for Bulgarian citizenship, as Bulgaria and Libya have a prisoner exchange agreement that would allow his transfer together with the nurses.The AFP reported on Tuesday that Hajuj’s lawyer in Tripoli, Tuhami Tumi, said on Monday that his client had been “promised” Bulgarian citizenship and that it would be approved “within the week”.This contradicts with Tumi’s statement in the court on Wednesday when he said the Bulgarian government did not grant Hajuj citizenship and what had been reported was baseless news reports.Libya’s Supreme Court will rule on July 11 on an appeal by six foreign medics sentenced to death for infecting Libyan children with HIV as representatives of the victims’ families said that an out-of-court agreement could be reached in the coming few days.”The case is reserved for a verdict on July 11,” the judge, Fathi Dhan, told the court.The five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor were convicted in December of deliberately infecting 439 children with HIV and sentenced to death.The latest statistics provided by the representatives of the victims’ families to The Tripoli Post show that a total of 439 children were infected with HIV, 57 of them have already died and 20 mothers have also been infected as a result.December’s trial was the second time the six have been sentenced to death. A Libyan court in May 2004 found them guilty but in December 2005 the Supreme Court scrapped the death sentences and sent the case back to a lower court for retrial. |
Libyan Prosecutor: Palestinian Doctor Who Infected 438 Libyan Children with HIV Granted Bulgarian citizenship as Part of a Deal to Join the Plot
**Amin Ahmed** is a Libyan journalist and contributor at TripoliPost, reporting on current affairs, business, and regional developments. With a keen eye for detail and a dedication to fair, balanced journalism, he delivers stories that keep readers informed about Libya and the world beyond its borders. He can be reached at amin.ahmed@tripolipost.com
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