site.btaSofia Appellate Court Conclusively Removes From Office Central Bank's Deputy Governor Gounev

Sofia Appellate Court Conclusively
Removes From Office Central
Bank's Deputy Governor Gounev


Sofia, December 11 (BTA) - The Sofia Appellate Court Thursday
conclusively removed from office Bulgarian National Bank Deputy
Governor Tsvetan Gounev.

The Sofia City Court removed Gounev from office on December 3,
but the decision was appealed.

On December 2, prosecutors demanded Gounev's dismissal in order
to prevent him from influencing witnesses in an investigation
against him. Gounev, who was in charge of the central bank's
Banking Supervision Department, was charged with abuse of office
in June. The prosecution claims he did not exercise control
over the troubled Corporate Commercial Bank (Corpbank). The
prosecution is also investigating the siphoning of 206 million
leva from Corpbank.

Commenting on the Sofia Appellate Court's decision on Thursday,
Gounev told journalists that if he cannot perform his duties in
the course of six months, the law requires Parliament to appoint
a new deputy governor of the central bank. He said he is not a
person who would influence people or manipulate them.

PK/DS


/ДЛ/