The embattled director of Bulgaria's National Health Insurance Fund, Neli Nesheva, who got involved in a bonus scandal on Wednesday, has filed her resignation.

Nesheva filed her petition to resign on Friday, following talks with Krasimir Velchev, Chair of the parliamentary group of center-right party GERB.

GERB's press office said in a statement Friday that Nehseva was leaving office of her own accord.

The main reason for Nesheva's departure was cited as "the social tensions created in relation to the money awarded as bonuses to officials and members of the National Health Insurance Fund."

One hour earlier, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said that as GERB Chair he had asked the parliamentary group of GERB to demand Nehseva's resignation.

The director of the National Health Insurance Fund is appointed by the Parliament and can only be removed by the Parliament.

Nesheva gave a special press conference Thursday to respond to accusations by Dimo Gyaurov, MP of the opposition rightist Union of Democratic Forces, during which she admitted that she had received BGN 12 500 as a wage bonus for 2011.

Gyaurov, in his turn, withdrew earlier claims that Nesheva had pocketed over BGN 30 000, saying that he had gotten the figure wrong due to "a technical error".

In her Friday interview for private TV station TV7, Nesheva vowed to donate her bonus to a charity foundation, Bulgarian Charities Aid Foundation (BCAF), which would receive the money on Monday.

Nesheva further apologized to patients and the media for the tone of the explanations she offered on Thursday.

"This was the tone of an embittered person and I apologize if anybody felt they were being preached to", Nesheva said.