Bulgarian Social Ministry Official Quits over Unreturned Bonus

Bulgaria's Minister of Social Policy and Labor, Totyu Mladenov, says returning bonuses received by senior officials is a matter of ethics. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Minister of Social Policy and Labor, Totyu Mladenov, has released from the post his Chief of Staff, Dimitar Markov, over unreturned bonuses.

In a Saturday interview for Darik radio Mladenov praised Markov's work, but explained the latter asked himself to be released and he complied because this has been a moral issue.

The Social Ministry announced on Friday that the Deputy would be leaving, but the resignation has been effective since Wednesday – the deadline to all senior officials to return bonuses they have gotten for 2010 and 2011 on the order of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov.

Markov had received a total of BGN 15 275, but was able to collect and return only about BGN 4 000.

Mladenov said everyone else had complied with Borisov's instructions, adding that the new State Servants Act will resolve all issues related to bonuses.