Bulgarian PM 'Offended' by Ex Agriculture Fund CEO

Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, informed the scandalous ex Agriculture Fund CEO lied she had a tumor in order to conceal her pregnancy. Photo by BGNES

The now dismissed Executive Director of Bulgaria's Agriculture Fund, Kalina Ilieva had excellent references from the EU anti-fraud office OLAF and this was the reason for her being selected for the post.

The statement was made Wednesday by Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, who said Ilieva was brilliant in deluding the government.

The PM also informed that the ex CEO lied she had a tumor and was very ill in an attempt to conceal her pregnancy, which led to her removal from the post in October.

"I am mad at her and I am offended. I do feel cheated as everyone else involved in this scandal; of course I have to share the responsibility for it, but she seemed to possess all required qualities to have a great career," Borisov said.

The PM rejected words of the opposition Bulgarian Socialists, who insist they were the ones alarming about both Ilieva's pregnancy and her fake diploma.

"Every day I deal with trying to fix the mess the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) left me. So, they must stay in the corner and shut up. When we selected Ilieva, she already worked at the Agriculture Fund, had close ties with OLAF. But I never waited on the Socialists to tell me she must be dismissed. She lied to me she had a tumor, and I was worried about her," Borisov explained.

When asked to comment on the statement of the former EU Funds Minister and now Member of the Parliament from BSP, Meglena Plugchieva, the previous cabinet had applied great effort for the absorption of these funds, the PM replied: "I agree with Plugchieva – they made all possible effort to freeze EU funding for Bulgaria."

On Tuesday, the Berlin Technical Institute in an answer to the Bulgarian Agricultural Ministry and the Bulgarian Educational Ministry officially announced that Kalina Ilieva has forged her diploma. The Institute further pointed out the case was referred to Germany's Prosecutor's Office.

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