site.btaInterior Ministry Chief Secretary Says European Prosecutors Declined to Postpone Searches, Seizures until After Elections

The European prosecutors investigating the public procurement for the renovation of Sofia's historic centre were told that it would be politically better if the searches and seizures across contractors' offices be postponed until after the elections. However, this was not taken into account, Interior Ministry Chief Secretary  Petar Todorov told bTV Saturday.

Todorov explained on Saturday that the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) had requested a meeting with the Chief Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime on March 29 to assist with the searches part of the investigation. On March 31, following a court order, searches and seizures were carried out in four company offices. There were no searches in Sofia Town Hall, as the employees there received the prosecutor's order and handed over all documentation, Todorov said.

EPPO announced that it had launched searches at addresses in Sofia in connection with an investigation into possible corruption and misuse of EU funds for the restoration of the city's historic centre, including the repaving of the iconic yellow paving stones, the renovation of Alexander Nevsky Square and Tsar Liberator Blvd. The investigation is about alleged mismanagement of funds allocated to Sofia Municipality for the renovation of the old city centre, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, as well as possible corruption.