Send to Kindle
OLAF has launched an investigation on suspicions of EU funds embezzlement against Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov, according to sources in Brussels. Photo by BGNES
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is investigating Bulgarian Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov for EU funds embezzlement, according to sources in Brussels speaking on condition of anonymity.
The tip-off against Naydenov was received in Brussels on August 28, according to reports of Sega daily.
The case involves a sum of BGN 50 000 for popularizing the Rural Development Program on Facebook and Twitter, as well as another sum of BGN 50 000 for publishing the information in online forums for a year.
The public procurement procedures were announced in 2011 and were won by companies of former officials of the Public Relations unit at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria's Public Procurement Agency published on its website a public invitation for a new procurement contract worth BGN 50 000 for maintaining the same social network accounts.
The scandal flared up in the summer of 2012, when an investigation of Sega daily revealed that the previous public procurement contract had been signed without announcing an open tender procedure but by sending invitations to three newly established companies – Dilkon, Moiri ko and KM kom.
The three companies turned out to have been registered on the same date with the same content of their articles of association.
The bids of the three companies also proved to be similar, with BGN 49 000 for Moiri ko, BGN 48 500 for Dilkon, and BGN 47 500 for KM kom, which was awarded the contract.
It subsequently turned out that during its short period of existence, KM kom, a company of Kristina Spasova and Lora Dimitrova, both 25-year-olds, had managed to acquire two apartments in Sofia worth over BGN 500 000 and a stake in a company for food bioprocessing worth BGN 390 000.
The investigation order for Miroslav Naydenov was handed in person by OLAF's Director-General, Giovanni Kessler, who visited Bulgaria on September 27-28, Sega daily reminds.
According to reports of the Bulgarian daily, Kessler was already well well-acquainted with the tip-offs during his visit.
A separate meeting was held with the management of the AFCOS Directorate (Coordination of Fight against the Infringements Affecting the Financial Interests of the European Union) at the Interior Ministry, which is a partner of OLAF in Bulgaria.
In December, AFCOS received an official request to send detailed information on the case and copies of the documents related to it.
According to Bulgaria's Interior Ministry, as cited by Sega daily, there is no information about an ongoing investigation of Miroslav Naydenov.
The Interior Ministry, however, specifies that a team of OLAF is currently in Bulgaria and works with Bulgarian authorities on signals unrelated to agricultural program.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
In a latest twist to the unfolding saga of political intrigue, the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office has announced charges against former Interior Ministry Secretary General Zhivko Kotsev, implicating him in an alleged criminal group
An organized criminal group comprising Bulgarian citizens has been implicated in what authorities describe as the largest welfare fraud scheme in the legal history of Great Britain
The Bulgarian Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that Chief Commissioner Zhivko Kotsev, who serves as the Secretary General of the ministry, has submitted his resignation
Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov disclosed to reporters in Burgas that a highly active criminal group engaged in migrant trafficking has been dismantled
Bulgaria's Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched 20 new electronic administrative services, aiming to alleviate the administrative load for citizens and businesses, according to an official announcement
A sizable gathering of approximately 100 farmers converged outside the Agriculture Ministry in Sofia, staging a protest march that aimed to amplify their demands for the immediate resignation of Agriculture Minister Kiril Vatev and his team
Bulgaria's Minister of Defense Todor Tagarev admitted the possibility that an explosive device might have been planted on board the crashed plane in which Yevgeny Prigozhin was traveling
The European Commission has announced that it is preparing criminal proceedings against Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Portugal for incorrect application of the rules on the exchange of data on criminal records and the establishment of the relevant
The European Commission has started an evaluation of the Plan for Reconstruction and Development of Bulgaria, said the spokesman of the European Commission Eric Mamer. The document was submitted to the Commission on 15 October.
58% of Bulgarians do not support the introduction of the euro as the official currency in the country. This shows a study prepared by Trend agency specifically for the financial forum NEXT DIFI 2021, organized by b2b Media for the fifth year. The data dur
Too late Bulgaria began to explain its own position towards North Macedonia, as it should have been clear to our European partners some time ago.
An SPD-led government in Germany has significant potential to sharpen international attention to the problems of corruption in Bulgaria.
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022
