Controversial Bulgarian GERB MP Found in Conflict of Interest

Bulgaria's Commission for Establishing and Preventing Conflict of Interest has found that controversial GERB MP Emil Dimitrov has committed a number of such conflicts.
Dimitrov has been in conflict of interests in proposing lobbyist amendments to the Healthcare Act, the Hunting and Game Preserving Act, and the Tobacco and Tobacco Products Act, which were benefiting a number of companies registered under his mother's name.
Dimitrov ignored two invitations to appear before the Commission. Its decision can be appealed before the Sofia City Administrative Court. If the Court confirms it, the former MP faces a fine of BGN 5 000 to BGN 7 000 and confiscation of income for the period he has been concealing the conflict of interest.
Dimitrov is a former concessionaire of two of Bulgaria's largest hunting estates. In 2010, he was involved in a scandal revolving around a swap deal with public lands before he entered the Parliament, during the term of the Cabinet of the Three-Way Coalition.
The MP is also seen as the mastermind behind the controversial Forestry Act that resulted in mass protests in the capital Sofia. He was the one to make the scandalous statement: "Bulgaria is ours and the forests are ours."
His nicknames Emo the Cigarette Butt and Emo the Rothmans stem from his long-running history of being involved in cigarette trade. He is considered to be very close to former Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov.
Bulgaria's image as a hunting destination was tarnished in 2005 when a German Barron shot a reindeer in a hunting estate owned by Emil Dimitrov, and the trophy was declared a world record. Investigative journalistic reports, however, revealed that the reindeer had been raised in a farm in Austria and fed by hormones. The record was annulled in the aftermath.
Borisov has so far defended his friend's involvement in the 2010 land swap, saying he did it before he became an MP. He labeled his outrageous statement about "our forests" a non-sense.
Dimitrov recently said he would not be running on the GERB ballot in the May 12 snap general elections and was giving up on politics.

Bulgarian Pop-Folk Singer Caught Drunk Driving (Again!) with 6-Year-Old in Car
Bulgarian pop-folk singer Debora Ivanova has been taken into custody and formally charged after being caught driving with a blood alcohol level

16 Migrants Found in Refrigerated Truck at Bulgarian Border
Border police in Ruse have detained 16 Iraqi nationals who were discovered hidden inside a refrigerated truck

Massive Illegal Cigarette Factory Uncovered in Southern Bulgaria
Authorities have uncovered what is believed to be the largest illegal cigarette factory ever discovered in Bulgaria

Fentanyl Enters Bulgaria’s Streets: Largest Seizure Yet Prompts Urgent Measures
In a major operation by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Directorate for Drug Control and Investigations, Bulgarian law enforcement seized two kilograms of fentanyl

Fatal Stabbing Before Wedding in Bulgarian Village: Groom in Custody
A tragic altercation on the eve of a wedding left one man dead

Brazilian Woman Caught with 1.6 kg of Cocaine at Sofia Airport
Customs officers from the Sofia Customs Territorial Directorate, specifically from the "Fight against drug trafficking" unit, intercepted 1.6 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a hidden compartment of a suitcase at Sofia Airport