Bulgaria Seeks to Clean up Tainted Road Agency Act

Bulgaria's new regional development minister Rosen Plevneliev inherited the department from Socialist Assen Gagauzov to be remembered with a number of scandals over conflict of interests that led to the freezing of EU funds. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's parliament will debate on Thursday a proposal for streamlining the operations of the National Road Infrastructure Agency by making it again part of the regional development ministry.

The change was first initiated by Bulgaria's new Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev, who inherited the department from Socialist Assen Gagauzov to be remembered with a number of scandals over conflict of interests that led to the freezing of EU funds.

The National Road Infrastructure Agency made headlines last year after its former head, Veselin Georgiev, was charged with awarding contracts worth tens of millions of BGN to companies run by two of his brothers.

The controversy that led to the freezing of the EUR 723 M earmarked to improve Bulgaria's dilapidated roads broke out following an investigation by the newspaper Kapital.

Georgiev resigned from his post under pressure from the media.

 

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