Bulgaria Former Tsar Won BGN 2 M from Unduly Restored Plots

Bulgaria's Forestry Agency head Kostov confirmed the state was going to file suits to get land back from Simeon Saxe-Coburg. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria’s former Tsar and PM Simeon Saxe-Coburg profited at least BGN 2 M from forest plots that were restored to his ownership unduly.

This was stated Monday morning by the head of Bulgaria’s Forestry Agency, Georgi Kostov, who told the Bulgarian National Television that at least BGN 4 521 decares of forest plots had been restored to Saxe-Coburg and his family’s ownership “twice”.

Kostov said the income from those additional plots exceeded BGN 4 M for the period they have been owned by Saxe-Coburg, and the net profit was BGN 2 M.

“It is pretty clear that the same forest plots have been restored twice, and these are sufficient grounds for the Bulgarian state to step in and protect its interests,” Kostov declared.

In his words, the forests on the plots in question still exist but the largest and most expensive trees on them have been cut down. Kostov said the Agriculture Ministry was also probably going to file suits for the agricultural lands restored to Saxe-Coburg.

The issue about the so called “Tsar’s estates” sprang up after Saxe-Coburg, upon becoming Prime Minister of Bulgaria in 2001, and his family claimed property which belonged to the Bulgarian royal family before it was nationalized by the communist government in the 1940s.

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