Bulgaria's Ex-Deputy Transport Min 'Lied about Urgent Repair' of Train Station

There was no urgent need to carry out repair works at the railway station of Ruse sanctioned by former Deputy Transport Minister Anton Ginev, the prosecution said on Wednesday.

Ginev was indicted on Tuesday with charges of intentional maladministration, shortly before stepping down.

Rumyana Arnaudova, the spokesperson  of Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor, told private NOVA TV on Wednesday that in 2007 Ginev had approved a BGN 3.12 M contract for the renovation of the passengers railway station in Ruse without a public tender.

He was the head of the National Railway Infrastructure Company at the time. No procurement procedure was launched, with Ginev citing the need to carry out an "urgent" repair while there was no such need at all, Arnaudova explained.

The selected company (two others were also vying but did not present the necessary documents) was transferred some BGN 1 M (EUR 0.5 M), within ten days after a contract was signed, in breach of all requirements.

The subcontractor was Iliya Iliev, an MP under investigation at the moment over the alleged embezzlement of around BGN 3 m out of the railway infrastructure company.

The investigation in question, which recently led to the Ruse station and Ginev himself, was launched two years ago but took a lot of time as Iliev "was doing many repairs"

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