site.btaAlliance for Rights and Freedoms: Planned Sale of 4,400 State-Owned Properties Must Be Honest

The Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF) parliamentary group insisted at a briefing in Parliament on Friday that the upcoming sale of 4,400 state-owned properties should be conducted in the most honest and normal way possible. ARF MP Pavlin Naydenov noted that the amendments to the State Property Act will most likely be finally adopted on July 31, which means that the properties will be put up for sale mid-August.

Naydenov said that these legislative changes are being adopted “at an incredible, intense speed”. He added: “The properties will be sold by regional governors according to their location, i.e., expect 28 regional governors to put up for sale around 1,000 properties, which are the most desirable and the best, in mid-August.”

The MP said that his party has tabled a motion to ensure an honest and normal process that would maximize the treasury's profit. To this end, a property must be advertised and presented to the public for at least 30 days so that as many buyers as possible can come forward and offer the highest price. The bidding process must be secret so that interested parties do not collude in advance.

On Thursday, Parliament passed at first reading two bills amending the State Property Act tabled by GERB-UDF MP Nikolay Nankov and by the Council of Ministers. On Friday, the parliamentary Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs combined them into a single bill, and the plenary session approved a three-day deadline for proposals between the first and second readings.

Earlier Friday, Vazrazhdane submitted a draft resolution to freeze the sale of 4,400 state-owned properties due to the lack of a clear guarantee that the proceeds will be used for social infrastructure.