Borissov: 'We Did Everything We Could'
GERB leader Boyko Borissov expressed his perspective on the recent negotiations surrounding the formation of a government, highlighting the challenges and compromises faced during the process
HOT: » Assessing the Legacy of Bulgaria's "Denkov" Cabinet: Achievements, Failures, and What Comes Next
The government in Sofia will insist that it receives back one-third of the payment of EUR 1.5 M forked out by its predecessor to controversial Austrian lobbyist Peter Hochegger.
This was announced by Dimitar Glavchev, member of parliament from the ruling GERB party and chair of the ad-hoc inquiry committee, which was set up in March this year to shed light on the lobbyist scandal.
In the middle of March Bulgaria's Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov drew attention to a report of a commission at the Austrian Parliament.
It claimed that the previous three-way coalition government headed by Prime Minister Stanishev had paid EUR 1.5 M to a company of Hochegger, with part of the sum returning to the PR agency owned by Monika Yanova, Stanishev's live-in girlfriend.
Hochegger's PR agency was hired by the Stanishev Cabinet in 2008 to hold two promotional campaigns to boost Bulgaria's image in the EU.
The public procurement was worth around EUR 1 M.
Ernst Strasser, former Interior Minister of Austria, was said to have been transferred EUR 100 000 of the total sum without any documents indicating his contribution for the fee.
Tsvetanov demanded a probe into the matter by an ad-hoc inquiry committee.
Stanishev, on the other hand, defended himself by saying that GERB had conjured up a Bulgarian link in the corruption scandal in Austria.
Meanwhile, Hochegger admitted that Yanova's PR agency had received EUR 270 000 from his company.
Now the parliamentary committee that checked the matter say EUR 500 000 should be paid back to the state budget as it was given to the Plovdiv Fair in the form of exemption from dividend.
The sum also includes the fee that Peter Hochegger paid to his subcontractor – an agency managed by Monika Yanova, who pocketed EUR 239,000, the ad-hic body claims.
A report with its findings will be sent to the Austrian parliament.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Bulgaria's Minister of Defense Todor Tagarev admitted the possibility that an explosive device might have been planted on board the crashed plane in which Yevgeny Prigozhin was traveling
The European Commission has announced that it is preparing criminal proceedings against Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Portugal for incorrect application of the rules on the exchange of data on criminal records and the establishment of the relevant
The European Commission has started an evaluation of the Plan for Reconstruction and Development of Bulgaria, said the spokesman of the European Commission Eric Mamer. The document was submitted to the Commission on 15 October.
58% of Bulgarians do not support the introduction of the euro as the official currency in the country. This shows a study prepared by Trend agency specifically for the financial forum NEXT DIFI 2021, organized by b2b Media for the fifth year. The data dur
Too late Bulgaria began to explain its own position towards North Macedonia, as it should have been clear to our European partners some time ago.
An SPD-led government in Germany has significant potential to sharpen international attention to the problems of corruption in Bulgaria.
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022