Bulgaria State Gazette Scandalous Saga Draws to Close

Should they be kicked out, Svetlin Tanchev and Plamen Tsekov will become the second and third members of parliament from the ruling GERB party to be forced to say goodbye to high-ranking posts in parliamentary commissions. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

An ad hoc body, which was formed to probe a blunder that put an illegitimate amendment to the drugs law in Bulgaria's State Gazette, is expected to come up with its ruling on Tuesday.

“We will point out those whom we believe are guilty, but we don't want to have the final say,” said its chair Rumen Ivanov last week.

There are widespread expectations that the scandal will cost the high post of two members of Bulgaria's parliament. Svetlin Tanchev, chair of the European Affairs parliamentary commission, and Plamen Tsekov, deputy chair of the health commission, may be dismissed following a recommendation to this effect by the commission.

The amendment to the law on drugs, which was published in Bulgaria's State Gazette without the approval of the parliament or the president, has so far been innocently passed off as an involuntary mistake by the ruling GERB party, who has been accused of lobbying and forging a part of the law on drugs.

The illegitimate amendment was published in the State Gazette edition on March 23 and actually relieved the regime for advertising agencies to use images, resembling drugs.

Experts have commented that a legislative amendment can not be treated as a technical change and should also be given the green light by the parliament and the president, who has called the incident “a precedent”.

The parliamentary health commission put to the vote the amendment at the beginning of April and corrected the mistake.

Should they be kicked out, Svetlin Tanchev and Plamen Tsekov will become the second and third members of parliament from the ruling GERB party to be forced to say goodbye to high-ranking posts in parliamentary commissions.

Earlier this week Lachezar Ivanov, deputy parliament speaker, chair of the heath commission and leader of the Sofia unit of the ruling GERB party, was forced to resign after a journalist revealed he tried to prevent a reportage on custom officers from going on air on Nova TV channel.

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