Bulgaria: Political row over action against business people reportedly linked to Dogan
There is political controversy in Bulgaria about actions by the anti-corruption commission, prosecutors and anti-organised crime directorate against business people, that critics say is linked to the faction fighting within the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and directed against MRF founder Ahmed Dogan.
On August 15, the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office said that it had gathered enough evidence to press charges against three individuals in connection with a 150 million leva non-performing loan from the state’s Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB).
The three accused are Roumen “The Wolf” Gaitanski, owner of Roadway Construction Company, company representative Ivan Georgiev and former BDB chief Stoyan Mavrodiev.
The announcement came a day after the anti-corruption commission, prosecutors and the anti-organised crime directorate searched Gaitanski’s homes and offices, and confiscated several luxury vehicles owned by his companies.
The raid was in connection with a non-performing loan granted by BDB to Gaitanski’s company.
Reportedly, Gaitanski and Mavrodiev left Bulgaria several days ago.
Prosecutors said that the investigation into the BDB loan began in October 2022 after a tip-off. The investigation, into alleged malfeasance in office, was shut down in May 2023 for lack of evidence, they said.
Kiril Petkov, co-leader of We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria and a former caretaker Economy Minister, noting reports that Gaitanski and Mavrodiev had left Bulgaria, said that this was because the “umbrella protecting them in recent years has been lifted”.
Petkov said that when he was in office as Economy Minister, he had warned that BDB was being drained.
Bulgarian website Mediapool said that BDB, supposedly created to support small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, was used by big businessmen close to Boiko Borissov’s GERB and the MRF “as a personal piggy bank for cheap access to large loans”
Among them were companies connected to MRF MP Delyan Peevski, and Gaitanski.
“For years, both media and political opponents of GERB and MRF have publicized the outrages committed by the state bank, including the doomed loan of 150 million for The Wolf.”
Petkov asked why the anti-corruption commission and its head Anton Slavchev (whose dismissal WCC-DB is seeking) had not investigated the 150 million leva loan that BDB gave to Bulgartabac.
Privatised years ago, Bulgartabac’s actual owner was Delyan Peevski. Peevski, a highly controversial figure, is currently engaged in a battle for control of the MRF with Dogan.
Gaitanski had paid Dogan’s debt in connection with Varna thermal plant with a loan taken from BDB.
“Institutions which are supposed to safeguard public resources are obviously being used to settle internal party accounts,” Bozhanov said.
WCC-DB had for years been calling for an investigation into the BDB deal with Gaitanski, but prosecutors and the anti-corruption commission had done nothing until the time came to settle accounts, he said.
Vuzrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov said that Peevski “owns” the prosecution service and was using against his political opponents.
Peevski, asked by reporters in Parliament on August 15 to comment on WCC-DB and Vuzrazhdane saying that he was using the prosecutor’s office as a cudgel, instead talked about his view that the formation of a caretaker cabinet was being deliberately delayed while President Roumen Radev was holidaying at the seaside.
(Photo: Jason Morrison)
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