Bulgaria Investigates Botas Gas Deal: Former Minister’s Home Searched

"Rosen 'Botas' Hristov, who was forced upon us by President Rumen Radev, demonstrates a well-off and carefree life" - Metodi Lalov wrote on Facebook

Authorities have launched a wide-ranging investigation into the controversial gas transmission agreement between Bulgaria’s state-owned Bulgargaz and the Turkish company Botas. The operation, led by the Anti-Corruption Commission under the supervision of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office, included inspections at the Ministry of Energy as well as at the offices of Bulgargaz and Bulgartransgaz.

Prosecutors confirmed that the inquiry focuses on the circumstances surrounding the conclusion of the contract and whether it caused serious financial harm to the Bulgarian state. The case stems from a pre-trial proceeding initiated nearly a year ago - on August 16, 2024 - based on findings from the State Agency for National Security (SANS).

As part of the investigation, a search was conducted at the residence of a person identified by initials R.H., later confirmed as former caretaker Energy Minister Rosen Hristov. The operation aimed to locate and preserve items and documents potentially relevant to the case. Hristov himself confirmed the search, which occurred just a day after he posted, then quickly deleted, a light-hearted video on social media.

The Ministry of Energy has officially stated that current Minister Zhecho Stankov has ordered the administration to fully cooperate with the investigation. The ministry will provide all documents and information requested in connection with the probe. Prosecutors have also asked for materials from Bulgargaz and Bulgartransgaz, which are reportedly complying.

The investigation relates to suspicions of gross mismanagement during Hristov’s tenure. According to the prosecutor’s office, in December 2022, an official failed to exercise due care in handling public property during the contract negotiations. This allegedly resulted in major financial damage to Bulgargaz, with the case described as particularly large-scale and serious.

The agreement between Bulgargaz and Botas was finalized in early January 2023, during the caretaker cabinet of Prime Minister Galab Donev, appointed by President Rumen Radev. Then-Energy Minister Rosen Hristov signed a preliminary agreement with the Turkish side in late 2022. At the time, Denitsa Zlateva headed Bulgargaz, while Bulgartransgaz was managed by Vladimir Malinov.

Under the terms of the 13-year contract, Bulgaria is obligated to pay Botas a daily transmission fee of approximately one million leva (half a million euros), regardless of whether gas is physically transported. According to Energy Minister Stankov, the agreement includes inflation-based adjustments that could drive the total cost to six billion leva over the life of the deal. He also emphasized that Bulgaria cannot exit the contract unless it pays the full amount - initially estimated at four billion leva.

The contract has been widely criticized not only for its financial terms, but also for the risk it may create a backdoor for Russian gas imports into Bulgaria and the broader European market.

In 2023, a temporary parliamentary commission was set up to examine the Botas agreement. The commission submitted its findings to both the prosecutor’s office and SANS in April 2024. However, until this week, there had been no public indication of the stage or scope of the ensuing investigations.

The Botas probe comes amid a period of intensified activity by anti-corruption investigators. In recent weeks, operations led to the arrests of Sofia Deputy Mayor Nikola Barbutov and Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev - both affiliated with the WCC-DB opposition coalition. Unlike those cases, the prosecutor’s office issued a public statement about the Botas investigation from the outset, detailing its aims and legal basis.