The parliamentary anti-corruption committee assigned Thursday the National Revenue Agency (NRA) to investigate several signals against former Social Minister, Emiliya Maslarova.

The NRA agents will probe violations in the “Beautiful Bulgaria” project, in the renovations of a building of the Labor and Social Policy Ministry in the southern city of Stara Zagora, and a property swap made by Maslarova of two apartments in Sofia's faraway outskirts for which she received a restaurant, a store and a two-story building.

NRA will also probe why Maslarova is keeping in her house Lora Karavelova's piano, which is an item of high historic and cultural value. (Lora Karavelova is the daughter of prominent Bulgarian politician and late nineteen century Prime Minister, Petko Karavelov, the niece of the great Bulgarian writer and revolutionary Luyben Karavelov and wife of renowned poet Peiyo Yavorov.) Maslarova has said she was safekeeping the piano after it was thrown out from the club of the Women's Democratic Union in downtown Sofia.

On Monday current Social Minister, Totyu Mladenov, informed that BGN 7,4 M more than what was initially slated has been spent on the so-called “Beautiful Bulgaria” project.

“I wish to question my predecessor, Emiliya Maslarova, where this money has gone,” Mladenov said.

In August, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy launched a full review of the”Beautiful Bulgaria” project.

EUR 71 M is expected to be given to the project in 2009 to over 71 sites in what Maslarova described as one of the best ways of securing employment during the economic crisis. The project provides funding for the repair and construction of social housing, sheltered housing, kindergartens and historical monuments.

A single proposal may receive up to EUR 300 000, of which at least 50 percent must be financed by the contractor. The "Beautiful Bulgaria" project was founded in 1997, initially to repair old buildings and monuments in Sofia.

In addition to the above said investigations Mladenov announced Maslarova is also probed for the May transfer of the Ministry's employees vacation home, near the "Golden Sands" summer resort, to private owners.

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