No Grounds for Dismissal of Bulgaria's Svilengrad Customs Boss

The Director of the Bulgarian Customs Agency, Vanyo Tanov, announced the Head of the Svilengrad Customs, gets to keep his job, despite the personal request of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov. Photo by BGNES

The Director of the Customs in the Southern city of Svilengrad, Stefan Marashev, would not face legal proceedings, the Director of the Bulgarian Customs Agency, Vanyo Tanov, said.

In a Wednesday interview for the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, Tanov explained the preliminary probe failed to collect any evidence in order to press legal charges, adding a State servant can be dismissed against his or her will only if there is proof of criminal breaking of rules, otherwise the Court would reinstate the said individual in one to two months.

Marashev was already fired once, in 2008, from the post of Head of the Svilengrad Customs, but was reinstated by the Supreme Administrative Court. The reason for the ousting at the time was that he, allegedly, refunded an excise duty in the amount of BGN 10 M without having the right to do so.

Tanov said he had asked the National Revenue Agency to audit Marashev to see if the value of his property corresponds to his declared income.

Last week, upon the disclosure of pictures made by employees of the National Revenue Agency, who flew in a helicopter over 45 properties, constructed illegally on State lands on the shore of the Ivaylovgrad dam in southern Bulgaria, Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov asked for the dismissals of Marashev and of the Head of the State Agency for National Construction Control, Ivan Simidchiev.

While Simidchiev resigned the very next day, and already has an appointed replacement, Marashev refused to comply prompting the Customs Agency to start proceedings against him.

The vacation village Stavri Dimovo, on the banks of the Ivaylovgrad dam, is better known by its nickname – The Customs Agents Village over the luxury mansion properties belonging to people from Sofia and the southeastern border town of Svilengrad, who are mostly senior civil servants such as Customs agents, traffic cops as well as businessmen.