Greedy Bulgarian MPs Donate Half Salary to Charity

Politics » DOMESTIC | December 8, 2010, Wednesday // 17:31
Greedy Bulgarian MPs Donate Half Salary to Charity: Greedy Bulgarian MPs Donate Half Salary to Charity Krasimir Velchev, co-Chair of the GERB parliamentary group, says donating part of a wage when an MP misses work was a practice for the GERB group. Photo by BGNES

Eight of the sixteen Members of the Bulgarian Parliament, who succumbed to a media trick, are giving half of their December salaries to charity, Krasimir Velchev, co-Chair of the GERB parliamentary group told journalists.

All 8 are from the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov.

The funds will be given to the GERB group which will decide what charity to use them for.

"The public humiliation for these GERB MPs should be very embarrassing for people who have honor and consciousness. The eight are profoundly apologizing to their voters. I hope this will never happen again,' Velchev said Wednesday, adding donating part of a wage when an MP misses work was a practice for the GERB group and has happened before. He gave an example with a recent BGN 5 000 donation which has been given to a young women in need of emergency surgery.

The GERB group co-Chair explained the MPs, who were exposed for their greed and prevalence of personal interests over legislative responsibilities, refuse to answer reporters' questions over the feeling of guilt, but are not angry with the media or offended by the trick.

On Tuesday, the Parliamentary group of the ruling GERB party decided to sanction the 8 GERB MPs with a "strong reprimand" and asked the other parties in the Parliament to issue an official position.

It was reported earlier Wednesday, Borisov wanted to impose fines on the GERB MPs and had extended the proposal to the Speaker of the Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva. He asked for a penalty in the amount of a monthly wage (about BGN 2 300) to a wage and a half.

The Chair of the Parliamentary anti-Corruption Committee, Valentin Nikolov, commented for the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, he did not hear about the PM's idea, but pointed out the Parliamentary Code does not have a legal clause allowing Tsacheva to impose such sanction.

The anti-Corruption Committee will examine the case Thursday, after it was alarmed personally by the Speaker.

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Tags: luxurious cell phones, MPs, Boyko Borisov, klaus barbie, cell phones, trick, media, members of parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva, GERB

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