No Progress in Bulgaria Notorious Road Controversy Trial

Veselin Georgiev became publicly known as "Batko" (the Bulgarian word for an elder brother) after he was charged with awarding contracts worth tens of millions of levs to companies run by two of his brothers. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

A Bulgarian court has referred back to prosecutors the trial against the former head of the state-owned National Road Infrastructure Fund, who has been accused of giving lucrative contracts to his brothers.

Vesselin Georgiev is charged with awarding contracts worth tens of millions of levs to companies run by two of his brothers.

Sofia City Court said on Tuesday the trial against him has been flawed from the very beginning – first the defendant was charged with one crime, to which another two were added later.

The trial has been repeatedly postponed after either the defendant or witnesses failed to appear at the court room.

The controversy that led to the freezing of the EUR 723 M earmarked to improve Bulgaria's dilapidated roads broke out following an investigation by the newspaper Kapital.

Georgiev resigned from his post under pressure from the media.

This is one of a number of large-scale schemes for siphoning public funds for the personal benefit of close relatives of high-ranking servants, which have been unveiled over the last two years in Bulgaria and which Brussels follows closely.

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