Bulgarian PM Hints Transport Minister Investigated

Transport Minister Tsvetkov (left) might be sacked by PM Borisov (right) if there are reasons to believe he was involved in corruption over a tender. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has confirmed indirectly that there is an investigation against Transport Minister Alexander Tsvetkov over a public procurement tender.

"I am a distrustful person, and that's why I check everybody," Borisov declared Friday when asked to confirm or disprove the reports that the State National Security Agency DANS is investigating Tsvetkov over a project for the construction of a "rolling highway" terminal at the Dragoman train station.

According to the reports, the BGN 6 M deal for the construction of the Dragoman terminal should cost only BGN 2 M.

The suspicions that Tsvetkov is under investigation have been strengthened by the fact that he was not present at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the final section of the Trakiya highway on Friday even though he had originally been scheduled to appear there.

Tsvetkov was appointed Transport Minister by Borisov in 2009 after he served as a Deputy Mayor of Sofia in charge of transport during the last year of the PM's term as Sofia Mayor. He became a Deputy Mayor after his predecessor Velizar Stoilov was fired over a corruption scandal because of a tape record showing Stoilov promised that certain firms will win transport concessions in Sofia during a tender.

Earlier on Friday, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said he did not know if his colleague from the Cabinet was under investigation.

Tsvetkov might become the second minister from the Borisov Cabinet to be removed after the sacking of former Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev over suspicions that he served lobbyist interests.

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