Bulgaria's Ex-VP Okayed Two-Thirds of Citizenship Requests

Former Bulgarian VP Angel Marin is pictured here after his recent decoration with a Stara Planina order, just days before coming under fire over the legitimacy of his second and last term. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgaria's former Vice President Angel Marin okayed 81 749 out of a total of 132 288 Bulgarian citizenship applications during his two terms in office, it has emerged.

3.5 times more applications for Bulgarian citizenship were given the thumbs up in the period 2002-2011 than in the preceding 10 years, the BGNES news agency has estimated.

In 2011, a total of 18 473 people became Bulgarians, which registered a peak in a trend that has been growing each year during the two terms of former President Georgi Parvanov and his deputy.

Out of the 81 749 individuals who have been granted Bulgarian citizenship, 80 415 have Bulgarian origin or at least one Bulgarian parent.

A total of 44 211 Macedonians have received Bulgarian citizenship in the period, followed by Moldavians (20 668), Serbians (4009), Russians (3161), Ukrainians (3079), Israelis (2638) and Albanians (1399). 291 had no citizenship.

It recently emerged that former President Georgi Parvanov failed to issue a decree authorizing the second mandate of the Vice President from 2007 to 2012.

This led many to state that Marin's decrees to pardon prisoners, grant and strip of citizenship can be challenged in court as invalid and in violation of the Constitution.

Meanwhile it became clear that Angel Marin pardoned mainly murderers and culprits of other grave crimes during his two terms in office.

The issue of Marin's alleged illegitimacy was taken to the court room by no other than Interpol-sought Russian mafia thug Konstantin Tsiganov, who is believed to be the head of the Russian crime group Uralmash.

Tsiganov is said to be the head of the Russian crime group Uralmash and has been wanted by the Russian authorities since 2003 and by the Interpol since 2006.

He was granted Bulgarian citizenship in 2001.

Ten years later, he was expelled from Bulgaria, stripped of Bulgarian citizenship and banned from re-entering the country for 10 years.

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