Bulgarian Minister Cagey about Siphoning French Welfare

Ivan Danov, the Minister of Investment Planning in the government formed with the mandate of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, says there was a "speckle of truth" in the allegations he had drained close to EUR 15 000 from the French welfare system.

Speaking for the Bulgarian National Radio Friday, he explained that "what had been presented to the public was not the exact story," commenting on a publication of the site for investigative journalism Bivol.bg that Danov kept receiving social assistance after listing himself in France as unemployed, while at the same time he has been working as university lecturer and private design architect in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.

In a quite vague statement, the Minster told the radio host: "I have not been informed that this has happened as I have not traveled to France since 2005," obviously implying he did not know that his name was not removed from French social assistance listings.

He added he would offer more details at a later time.

However, the above still doesn't shed much light on the matter as, according to Bivol's publication, he received social assistance in France while working in Bulgaria in 2004 - 2005.

Danov's appointment to head Bulgaria's brand-new Ministry also came on the heels of a scandal. He replaced at the post his colleague and acquaintance, architect Kalin Tiholov as the latter's nomination lasted about 24 hours. Prime Minister, Plamen Oresharski, was forced to withdraw Tiholov's name amidst outrage over his active participation in a number of scandalous and murky construction projects in protected areas on the Black Sea coast.

Danov and Tiholov are colleagues from the Sofia University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UACEG), where they shared the same office.

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