Bulgaria's former ambassador to Germany and the foreign minister conferred on Monday in a bid to ease the tension after a ruling of a German court obliged the country pay EUR 10,5 M to the heirs of a property in Berlin.

“The honest people, who work for the state should be respected. There have always been such people. I have the confidence to believe to be one of them,” former Ambassador Meglena Plugchieva said after the meeting.

The meeting came in response to accusations that Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva threw at her from the parliamentary rostrum last week, saying that the envoy's actions have led to the unfavorable ruling of the court.

According to Plugchieva the property in question was used by the Bulgarian state and its trade representatives in Berlin up to 1990, when it was rented out to Dresdner Bank.

Despite ownership claims by the property heirs, the bank continued to use it up to 2000 at a rent of EUR 90,000 per month.

The former ambassador said it was her decision to transfer all Dresdner Bank payments to a separate bank account so that the money can be used in case of an unfavorable for the Bulgarian state ruling of the court.

The other property scandal concerns contracts for renting out parts of a building complex, owned by the Bulgarian state.

Minister Jeleva said on Monday that the contracts have been signed by the then head of the Bulgarian diplomatic bureau in Berlin Petar Feim Chaushev, who became later deputy foreign minister.

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