site.btaInterior Minister Demerdzhiev Rejects Allegations over Family Property Holdings

Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev on Wednesday dismissed allegations that he and his wife have acquired property through dubious transactions. "I did not become wealthy from my time in Parliament. I have worked hard for years. Unlike some people, my financial situation has not changed by hundreds of millions because of my parliamentary career," Demerdzhiev told a media briefing.

Earlier on Wednesday, Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) Deputy Floor Leader Hamid Hamid presented information about the assets of Demerdzhiev and his wife, saying it will also be referred to the Prosecution Service. According to Hamid, the Demerdzhiev family, through individuals and companies under its control, owns a total of 411 real estate properties, including seven apartments, with the remainder consisting of building plots and agricultural land. Demerdzhiev carried out fictitious transactions to avoid tax obligations and transactions to conceal the actual value of the land, and that there is evidence of influence peddling when changing the status of agricultural land, Hamid said.

Demerdzhiev stated: "I do not own houses in Greece, although many people have properties there worth enormous sums. Many people also carry out substantial financial transactions involving Greece. All of this will be established and investigated, and if any violations are found, we will take action regardless of who is involved."

The Interior Minister rejected claims that he had used the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to change the designation of some of the properties he owns.

"I have been a lawyer for 26 years and, thanks to Mr Peevski [Delyan Peevski, the MRF leader], I have undergone a comprehensive tax audit that established my income and assets and showed that I have no outstanding tax liabilities," Demerdzhiev added.