Employees of Bulgaria’s Finance Ministry have received more than one salary in December, the Bulgarian TV channel bTV reported.

12 Ministry experts have received the so-called “target awards,” according to the report, which came only a day after Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, told the members of the Supreme Judicial Council that due to the budget deficit there is no money for Christmas bonuses for the judicial system.

The Ministry’s press center, under the pressure to give information, later confirmed the bTV report.

Djankov says he ordered the awards in the beginning of December and those experts earned them by working 24 hours a day in November to prepare the 2010 budget.

The Minister reiterated that neither he nor any of his deputes or other high-ranking employees have received any bonuses.

“The couple of thousand of BGN went to those 12 experts only,” Djankov says.

The Minister, however, failed to state the exact amount of the award and declined answering a question if Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, was aware of his decision to give additional money to employees.