3 Former Bulgarian Ministers to Testify in Road Fund Case

Crime | February 10, 2010, Wednesday // 10:56|  views

The fund former head Vesselin Georgiev is charged with awarding contracts worth tens of millions of levs to companies run by two of his brothers. Photo by BGNES

Three former Bulgarian ministers have been called upon to testify in a legal case of conflict of interest involving the former head of the state-owned Bulgarian National Road Infrastructure Agency, Vesselin Georgiev, it emerged on Wednesday.

Former Euro Affairs Minister Gergana Passy, Justice Minister Meglena Plugchieva and Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski will have to appear in the court room at the next hearing in March.

The fund former head Vesselin Georgiev is charged with awarding contracts worth tens of millions of levs to companies run by two of his brothers. The trial has been repeatedly postponed after either the defendant or witnesses failed to appear at the court room.

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.

Bulgaria's finance ministry declassified at the end of last year the financial audit of the state-owned National Road Infrastructure Fund.

The report was issued in 2008 by KPMG Bulgaria consultancy and discloses violations and lapses that led to the freezing of funds under the PHARE and ISPA pre-accession programs.

The report also singled out cases of clash of interests in awarding contracts for construction works and supervision, which considerably exceed the expenses in the fund budget, oversights in tender procedures and contract signing.

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Tags: Vesselin Georgiev, Road Infrastructure Fund

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