Bulgaria: Heads of State Institutions Awarded Themselves Massive Bonuses, Missing 2.5 Billion Euros in Budget

Ivaylo Mirchev, co-chair of "Yes, Bulgaria", revealed that heads of several state institutions awarded themselves and their colleagues massive bonuses last year. Speaking on bTV, he said the party had requested information on all bonuses distributed in 2024 and received what he described as “extremely interesting data.”

According to Mirchev, the Bulgarian Agricultural Advisory Service, a little-known institution that has doubled its staff over the past two years, granted its executive director a bonus of 31,000 leva (around 15,850 euros) and the secretary general 30,000 leva (about 15,340 euros). At the Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (EWRC), commissioners reportedly received nearly 1 million leva (511,300 euros) in bonuses. The head of the National Audit Office took home over 110,000 leva (56,240 euros), while his deputy received 63,000 leva (32,200 euros). In the Financial Supervision Commission, management members were each awarded between 40,000 and 50,000 leva (20,450–25,560 euros). These sums, Mirchev emphasized, are purely bonuses and do not include their regular salaries.

“‘Yes, Bulgaria’ will propose a cap on bonuses in state institutions,” Mirchev stated. He added that the party’s economic team, led by MP Martin Dimitrov, found a discrepancy in the national budget while comparing the figures for 2024 and 2025. According to their calculations, about 5 billion leva (2.56 billion euros) appear to be missing.

“They were in the 2025 budget. Out of the 5.5 billion leva allocated for the Bulgarian Development Bank, some 5 billion have disappeared. It’s easy to see: from the net state debt for 2026 of 6.2 billion euros, we subtract the 3.6 billion euros deficit, and what remains is roughly 5 billion leva that cannot be traced,” Mirchev explained. “This money is below the line. It seems none of the economists who comment on TV have noticed this gap either. The government will be able to allocate this money at its own discretion, just like the current 5.5 billion leva.”

He warned that such funds could be directed toward what he described as “corruption projects.” According to Mirchev, money from these hidden reserves is being used to reward mayors loyal to the government. “The mayor of Krumovgrad, for example, had funding for one project frozen. After he went and took a photo under the coat of arms, the money was released. The same happened with the mayor of Gorna Oryahovitsa,” he said.

Mirchev also raised concerns over the country’s mandatory 90-day fuel reserves. He alleged that a loophole allows certain companies to bypass storage requirements through a system of “formal refusals” from warehouses. “It’s unclear whether the 90-day reserves actually exist. We have signs that at least one company, which is close to the government, doesn’t hold the required stocks. It emails all warehouses asking if there’s space for its fuel, receives formal refusals, and then reports to the State Reserve that there’s no room. That way, it avoids storing fuel and keeps its liquidity,” he explained, calling the practice a long-running scheme.

Mirchev said that “Yes, Bulgaria” has information suggesting communication between Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel and British authorities regarding the possible lifting of sanctions against Delyan Peevski. The party expects an official statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he added, noting that there has been no denial from the ministry so far.