Ex-Interior Minister Files Libel Suit against Bulgaria Finance Minister

Bulgaria's former Interior Minister Petkov (right) has filed a libel suit against acting Finance Minister Djankov (left). Photos by BGNES

Bulgaria's former Interior Minister (2005-2008), Rumen Petkov, has formally filed a libel suit against acting Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov.

Petkov, who was part of the Socialist-led government until he resigned in April 2008 over scandalous revelations of him meeting with organized crime suspects (the notorious Galevi Brothers), first announced on Sunday he was going to sue Djankov.

According to Petkov, in two recent interviews for the Trud Daily and the Bulgarian National Television, Djankov made untrue claims about violations Petkov committed during his term as minister.

The first claim in question states that Petkov did not obey the Public Procurement Act when he bought four tourist helicopters for the Interior Ministry worth a total of EUR 30 M.

Petkov claims the helicopters were important for Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen Agreement, and were actually negotiated before he became Interior Minister.

The second of Djankov's claims that Petkov deems defamatory is that the former Interior Minister delayed the establishing of a joint information system of the Customs Agency and the National Revenue Agency.

"As a Interior Minister, I had no powers to interfere with that," Petkov said Monday claiming that was the job of the Finance Ministry.

In his suit, Petkov has called up as witnesses the former Finance Minister, Plamen Oresharski, two of his deputies, and his successor, former Interior Minister, Mihail Mikov, as well as a number of other former and present top policemen and officials.

The joint information system of the CA and the NRA was set up by the GERB government a few weeks after it took office in July 2009.

 

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