site.btaLukoil in Bulgaria Preparing for Government Control in Case of Ownership Changes, Velichie MP Says

The subsidiary of Russia’s oil company Lukoil in Bulgaria is preparing for possible government control in case of a change in ownership, Velichie MP Krasimira Katincharova told reporters in Parliament on Friday.

Earlier in the day, MPs approved a decision stipulating that the sale of assets belonging to Lukoil in Bulgaria will be allowed only with a decision of the Council of Ministers and following a positive opinion from the State Agency for National Security.

According to Katincharova, the legislative amendments were prompted by MRF-New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski. She said: “These urgent changes are being pushed through because of the sanctions decision, which will have a direct impact on the refinery.”

“Just imagine - 52 people have been sanctioned under the U.S. Treasury Secretary’s order pursuant to the Magnitsky Act. Can you imagine that eight of them are Bulgarians? One of them, Delyan Peevski, has been sanctioned by both the US and the United Kingdom. For 11 years now, he has been becoming ever more deeply embedded in the governance of the Bulgarian state,” Katincharova emphasized.