Pressure Piles up on Bulgaria Ex Minister over BGN 11 M

Emiliya Maslarova has slammed the goings-on as a scenario, concocted to discredit her, and has promised full cooperation so that the truth may win. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Labor and Social Policy Ministry will submit on Monday official charges against Emiliya Maslarova, former head of the department in the previous Socialist-led government.

"Maslarova owes the ministry BGN 11 M. After we get the money back, we will use it to aid the socially disadvantaged," Minister Totyu Mladenov said from the parliamentary rostrum on Friday.

Emiliya Maslarova, Bulgaria's former Labor Minister and currently Socialist member of parliament, was charged with abuse of power and embezzlement last year after she voluntarily gave up her immunity from prosecution.

She was released on bail of BGN 50,000.

According to senior prosecution Boris Velchev, a probe had shown that the Ministry of Labor and Social Services, under the leadership of Emiliya Maslarova, had slated BGN 18,8 M for the renovations of a social home in the southern city of Stara Zagora.

Only BGN 7,8 M have been used for construction and repairs, while the remaining BNG 11 M were embezzled through fake invoices.

Other defendants in the case are Maslarova's Deputy, Dimitar Dimitrov, her Chief Secretary, Ivan Penev, and a family friend, Ventsislav Draganov along with Mihail Metodiev and Rosen Stefanov, who allegedly misled employees of the Social Ministry by preparing false protocols for non-existent construction works at the social home.

Bulgaria's previous Socialist-led government was hit by a series of corruption scandals last year, but none of these have led to a conviction.

Former prime minister Sergey Stanishev has been accused of losing classified reports on crime, while ex-farm Minister Valeri Tsvetanov and Defense Minister Nikolay Tsonev have been charged with abuse of power.

Bulgaria's new center-right government, which swept the elections in July, is trying to shake off the country's reputation for rampant corruption and crime, and has pledged to step up the fight against graft.

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