Investigation of violations in a former Elderly Home in the village of Jagoda

The Prosecutor's Office in Stara Zagora has initiated pre-trial proceedings for five crimes committed in a former Home for the Elderly in the village of Yagoda, Muglizhcommune. The investigation is being conducted for causing moderate bodily harm to the residents in a particularly torturous manner, for failing to take care of them, for destroying or hiding documents of others for personal gain, and for unlawfully obstructing an authority from carrying out its duties. It has been established that during the period from April 10 to June 6, 2025, elderly people aged between 51 and over 85 years were unlawfully deprived of their liberty in this home.

A total of 75 men and women lived in the former Home for the Elderly in the village of Yagoda, placed there by their relatives for a monthly fee between 820 and 990 levs. Inspections by various institutions have identified multiple violations in the facilities, for which the prosecutor's office and investigative authorities have initiated pre-trial proceedings.

According to witness statements, the residents were subjected to physical violence, humiliating treatment, and unauthorized administration of medications by employees without the necessary authority. Most people were bedridden, some were tied to their beds with textile belts, and others had their phones and personal documents taken away, without the right to leave the home. It has been established that the home did not comply with the standards for social care, such as hygienic conditions and capacity of the premises.

On June 6, 2025, five people were detained for 24 hours under the Ministry of Interior Act - two men aged 36 and 37, and three women aged 54, 68, and 56. One of the men is the manager of a commercial company, whose property are the facilities, and the women were employed as orderlies and maids. On June 7, 2025, the District Prosecutor's Office in Stara Zagora will bring charges against the detainees and order their preliminary detention for 72 hours. The case will involve numerous procedural actions, including the appointment of experts and the questioning of witnesses.