Bulgaria RZS Leader Demands Removal of 6 GERB Ministers

The leader of the conservative RZS party, Yane Yanev, wants 6 GERB ministers removed from their posts over alleged violations of the Conflict of Interests Act. Photo by BGNES

The battered leader of the conservative Order, Law and Justice (RZS) party, Yane Yanev, insists that 6 ministers from the current GERB cabinet are in conflicts of interests incompatible with their posts.

Yanev spoke Friday at a press conference and named the above said ministers as the Minister of Environment and Waters, Nona Karadzhova, the Foreign Minister, Rumiana Jeleva, Education Minister, Sergey Ignatov, Culture Minister, Vezhdi Rashidov, the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Rosen Plevneliev, and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov from the ruling Citizens fro European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party.

Yanev thinks that the most striking example is the case of Nona Karadzhova, who, at the time of her appointment, has been owner and manager of a company. Plevneliev has been partner or manager in 11 companies while Ignatov had managed 6, including the New Bulgarian University, Yanev says.

As far as Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, the RZS leader explained he submitted his conflict of interests declaration late, as did 14 ministers all together, but his violation does not make him incompatible with the PM post as do declarations that include erroneous data.

Yanev insists that because of the incorrect information, the appointment of the 6 ministers is invalid and must be declared as such, and vows to notify the Speaker of the Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva. If she fails to undertake measures, RZS threatens to submit the case with the Supreme Constitutional Court and to ask the Prosecutor's Office to conduct a full probe of all ministers.

Yanev believes the only minister, who is not in violation of the Conflict of Interests Act, is the Sports Minister, Svilen Neikov.

RZS further promised to create, after the Holidays, a civic anti-corruption committee to convene weekly in Sofia and travel around the country.

On Wednesday, Yanev was removed as Chair of the parliamentary anti-Corruption Committee after the parliamentary group of his Order, Law and Justice (RZS) party fell apart a week ago, when one of its members, Mario Tagarinski, announced he is leaving it. Tagarisnki's move brought the number of the group members down to 10 while the new parliament code postulates that 10 MPs from one party is the minimum to form a group.

Yanev blames Bulgaria PM Borisov and President Georgi Parvanov for causing the ‘Tagarinski’ case and thus the collapse of the RZS party.

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