site.btaCC-DB Files Complaint about Systematic Institutional Harassment of Local Government Officials in Pazardzhik

Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) Deputy Floor Leader Lena Borislavova said Tuesday that the parliamentary group will file a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Pazardzhik Regional Prosecution Office, and Interior Ministry's Pazardzhik Directorate with information about systematic institutional harassment of local government representatives in order to persuade them in one way or another to impact their votes and their actions as municipal councilors.

She noted that the complaint is being filed in connection with data and audio recordings published on Monday by investigative journalists, which make allegations about the actions of former Pazardzhik mayor Todor Popov.

According to Borislavova, there is also evidence of threats that the house of a municipal councilor in Pazardzhik would be set on fire if he refused to set up a meeting.

"It is no coincidence that a few days ago the prosecution service was ordered to pay BGN 500,000 to a mayoral candidate in Kavarna. If we look at how many convictions there have been against the prosecution service in recent years, we see around 250 cases each year. Every working day, someone convicts the prosecution service and the Anti-Corruption Commission," said CC-DB Co-Floor Leader Nikolay Denkov. 

He argued that as soon as a new mayor appears who does not listen to what he is told, everything possible is done to put pressure on him, to remove the deputy mayors, to bribe the borough mayors if possible, and to threaten the municipal councilors.

Regarding the new composition of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Borislavova commented that CC-DB MPs had submitted an opinion to the members of the Commission for Prevention and Countering Corruption in the 51st National Assembly in connection with Silvia Kadreva and Venera Milova, members of the Nomination Committee for the election of members of the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Borislavova added that the parliamentary committee has grounds, according to the rules, to request that new individuals be appointed to replace Kadreva and Milova. “They concealed in their declarations that they had a conflict of interest in performing this function, and there is indeed a conflict of interest within the meaning of the rules as we have adopted them and within the meaning of the European regulation on the protection of the EU's financial interests,” Borislavova said.

Borislavova commented that there are clear indications and evidence that both women are professionally and financially dependent on the ruling majority.

Last week, the nomination committee held its first meeting, at which its members agreed to decide on August 11 on the eligibility of candidates for membership of the Anti-Corruption Commission. Silvia Kadreva denied to the media that she had a conflict of interest because she had been a member of the Anti-Corruption Commission and now two candidates who are current employees are participating in the procedure.

"I have been a member of the Anti-Corruption Commission for seven years and I am very familiar with how conflicts of interest are determined. These two candidates are employees of the Anti-Corruption Commission, but I cannot be considered a related party under the provisions of the law and I cannot have a private interest in any of the candidates," Kadreva argued.