Bulgarian pop diva Lili Ivanova has denied allegations of seeking help from Prime Minister Borisov or ministers for the settlement of her newly uncovered tax irregularities.

Following a Wednesday meeting with Krasimir Stefanov, head of the National Revenue Agency (NRA), the music star explained the allegations of tax evasion with "involuntary mistakes made by an incompetent former accountant".

Ivanova vowed to pay everything NRA found necessary.

During her meeting with the NRA Director, she was told that the tax audit procedure had been stopped, pending a reply from the French tax administration about incomes received by Ivanova after her concert at the Olympia hall in Paris in the winter of 2009.

Stefanov confirmed that all allegations of tax evasion committed by Ivanova remained pure speculation at this stage.

He also said that, despite Ivanova's status of a music celebrity, she would not enjoy preferential treatment by the tax inspectors.

The NRA head also promised to publish the results of the audit of the Bulgarian pop diva upon its completion and with her prior consent,

On July 28, Bulgaria's government rejected a proposal for awarding Lili Ivanova with an additional pension for her extraordinary achievements, citing tax evasion.

Earlier in July, Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov proposed that the government should grant a personal pension to the popular singer on the grounds that she currently receives only BGN 105, just a notch above the social pension for old age, which is BGN 100.89.

Finance Minister Simeon Djankov opposed vehemently the proposal, saying that Lili Ivanova owes huge sums to the budget in unpaid taxes.

According to a publication in Bulgarian 24 Hours Daily, Ivanova has committed tax evasion to the tune of BGN 500 000.

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