Bulgarian PM Spent BGN ¾ M on Flights in 2012

Over BGN three quarters of a million have been used for flights of Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, from January to October 2012.

The data was published Wednesday by the Bulgarian online news agency and daily Capital, citing their own check under the Access to Public Information Act.

The amount is transferred from the State budget at the end of the calendar year since the Council of Ministries budget does not include separate funding for flights, the government press center told Capital.

The amount for January – October 2012 is BGN 780 000.

The press office representatives further explain that the PM's trips cannot be planned at the beginning of the year over the extremely busy schedule, but the privilege extends only to him, while any minister or delegation must pay for using the aircraft from their own budget.

The use of the government airbus became grounds for a scandal last summer when it emerged that the PM ordered the plane's pilots to fly to the Black Sea city of Varna two low-tier football teams close to him and his friend, controversial Member of the Parliament from the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party GERB, Emil Dimitrov, after losing a bet in a card game.

Borisov insisted he had not done anything wrong, and the flight has been requested and paid for by the Bulgarian Football Union.