Bulgaria Agriculture Minister Alerts over School Land Swaps

Naydenov stated that an inspection by his Ministry had found gross violations in the period of 2001 - 2009. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov has sent a report to the Prosecutor’s Office regarding agricultural land swaps from the State Land Fund (SLF). Land that had been provided for the use of high schools.

Naydenov stated that an inspection by his Ministry had found gross violations in the period of 2001 - 2009. In most cases the exchanges were permitted by an order of the Deputy Ministers and the Law on ownership and use of agricultural land states that such orders must be issued by the Minister only.

“If the Supreme Administrative Court rules that there is no legal basis for concluding the ten transactions referred to in the report, then all of them may be declared null and void,” Naydenov added.

Naydenov said that the main findings in the report were that the land swaps in Kavarna, Vidin and Montana did not protect the interests of the state. He gave an example of an exchanged plot in Kavarna that was reduced by 2 square meters that cost BGN 54 000 - in his words “the most expensive 2 square meters in Bulgaria.”

He concluded that the exchanges were authorized by the signatures of ex-Deputy Agriculture Minister Nihat Kabil and Byurhan Abazov, also in his capacity as Deputy Minister.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!