Bulgaria Privatization Agency Refutes Min on Railways Bid

No bidders have withdrawn from the privatization procedure for the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) freight unit, stated Bulgarian Privatization Agency head Emil Karanikolov.

Thus, he has in effect refuted an acting Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski, who said earlier Monday that some bidders are backpedaling from the procedure as a result of popular protests against the privatization.

According to Karanikolov, the Privatization Agency has extended the deadline for applications due to requests by applicants for an additional audit of the BDZ freight unit, as well as due to the fact that some of the unit's shares have been blocked as collateral against future claims.

"While those shares are blocked, the Agency cannot self the company. We are awaiting the court's decision to be able to decide which road to take," said the agency director.

Although he refuted Moskovski's statement that potential investors are withdrawing their bids, he shared the minister's observation that some of them are "worried."