Koveshi’s inspection – a signal for 4 companies that took at least BGN 200 million for eco-projects

The first signal that European Prosecutor Laura Coveschi will investigate in Bulgaria was sent by former Environment Minister Emil Dimitrov-Revisoro.

If the investigation in Brussels confirms the internal audit appointed by him as a minister, Bulgaria could receive sanctions of about BGN 2 billion. According to Emil Dimitrov, this is the amount of money spent outside the rules under the “Environment” program (OPOC). Emil Dimitrov explained this to “24 Chasa” after the signal itself was announced by the caretaker Minister Asen Lichev at the end of last week.

Koveshi and the Bulgarian prosecutor’s office will investigate whether a group of companies actually spent significant sums on the “Environment”. According to Revisoro, these companies, which “adopted” the program and had a relationship with two former ministers,

“Money money

pass through them

Where there is GERB – they go on behalf of GERB, where there is on DPS – a person from DPS. Through consulting companies, they receive the money and share it along the chain “, claims Dimitrov.

The signal sent by the former Minister of Ecology amounts to at least BGN 200 million. When the data on the violations arrived at Dimitrov in January this year, he contacted the Chief Prosecutor and Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who told him to send it immediately to the prosecutor’s office and all participants – employees, mayors, party members, to bear the consequences.

A report on the signal states the name of former Deputy Minister of Ecology Valeria Kalcheva. According to the memories of people from the ministry, she was brought by Tsvetan Enchev from the MRF, when he was chief secretary at the Ministry of Environment and Water. Then

Kalcheva

heads

the directorate,

which corresponds

for the program

“Environment”

During the rule of Neno Dimov as a minister, Kalcheva was already a deputy minister from the GERB quota. Kalcheva was fired by Emil Dimitrov after receiving carte blanche from Prime Minister Borissov due to reports of connections with beneficiary companies and conflicts of interest, as well as due to concealment of a signal from OLAF. He had to request the signal from the partner service to take it to the ministry’s office.

However, Kalcheva was reinstated by Dimitrov’s successor, caretaker Minister Asen Lichev (see below). And the author of the report to the signal – Gergana Grozdanova and experts who helped prepare it, were fired.

Kalcheva, however

was in office

with Lichev only

week,

because SANS warns about the inspection against her, which is why they will refuse to give her access to qualified information. Thus, Kalcheva returned to the old post – head of the program directorate. Her mother, Janet Zhikova, who was the ministry’s parliamentary secretary, is returning as chief of staff to the caretaker minister.

The unit of the General Directorate “Operational Program Environment” in the MoEW was established during the government of Plamen Oresharski. Just then, Janet Zhikova was appointed both head of the political cabinet and parliamentary secretary of the ministry, and her daughter Valeria Kalcheva began working in the general directorate.

With the appointment of Neno Dimov, Kalcheva became both director of the directorate and head of the managing body. After the minister’s arrest in January 2020, she was the only survivor despite signals against her.

For the tandem

mother Daughter

in public

order signal

submits

businessman

in January this year with a letter to Boyko Borisov and Emil Dimitrov. It claims that a public tender for BGN 6.5 million will be promoted with the protection of “Jackie’s daughter”.

The businessman says that this was stated to him by Aglika Georgieva – executive director of Balkanika Energy. She boasted that she knew the two ladies from the ministry, that she was sure that she would win the order in question for BGN 6.5 million and that she already had 14 other contracts with municipalities for nearly BGN 90 million. landfills and waste treatment. Balkanika Energy together with Ecosol Bulgaria AD and BT Engineering had contracts totaling BGN 133 million.

The report to the signal also states that the other scheme is for authors of strategic documents to consult project executors on them.

For example, the Ministry of Ecology has a contract with Petar Traikov for BGN 29,000 for consulting on the priority “Waste”, but the same person also manages a composting project to the municipality of Plovdiv, which is a beneficiary. A contract was signed for the same amount with Denis Tabakov, who participated in the evaluation of the priority projects of the water supply and sewerage companies in Pernik, Vidin, Plovdiv, Dobrich.

Deacon Group EOOD, which deals with consulting services in the field of ecology, has received a contract for BGN 179 million for the development of the Natura program, although the same company participates in the implementation of projects under the program for BGN 69 million. .

BT Engineering, which is owned by Botyo Tabakov, covers the whole country and consults municipalities that receive money, and his son Denis Tabakov is an evaluator under the program and practically evaluates his father.

The report also lists 11 projects worth over BGN 7 million of the Association “Science of Nature”. Due to remarks, financial corrections were requested, but a long appeal and seeking assistance from the Deputy Director of the Claims Coverage Program began.

The signal to

Koveshi describes

and indication

to render

of pressure

of experts at their meeting with beneficiaries in Kostinbrod municipality.

The report, on the basis of which the signal was sent to our and the European Prosecutor’s Office, describes a total of 313 projects worth BGN 1.87 billion. It traces the movement of amounts paid so far to the beneficiaries for BGN 1.3 billion. over 200 lawsuits from companies, and only the costs of conducting them cost the ministry over BGN 300,000.

In addition to the mentioned companies, the report lists as beneficiaries a large number of municipalities – Velingrad, Razgrad, Petrich, Sandanski, Plovdiv, Asenovgrad, Montana, Vidin, Razgrad, Dupnitsa, Chiprovtsi, Dimitrovgrad, Kostinbrod, Blagoevgrad, Vratsa, Yambol, Dospad, Troyan, Karlovo , Harmanli, Burgas, Montana, Zlatitsa, Lom, Madan.

“24 Chasa” searched for the companies on the phones listed in the Commercial Register, but no one answered them. Our publication is ready to publish their positions, as well as those of Neno Dimov and Valeria Kalcheva, who were also not available for comment.

Asen Lichev did not know that Valeria Kalcheva was being checked, so he returned her to the ministry

Minister Asen Lichev was not informed about the state of the ministry and the documents submitted to the prosecutor’s office. This was stated yesterday in a special position by the Ministry of Environment and Water. The allegations that Emil Dimitrov verbally warned Lichev about them did not correspond to the truth, and the new minister actually found out from a journalistic investigation,

Upon taking office, Lichev received from Dimitrov only a camera joystick from the so-called Coordination Center.

Regarding the suggestions that Lichev reinstated people fired by his predecessor for abuse, the Minister is adamant that he was not informed about the abuse, and that the presumption of innocence should be followed, the ministry wrote about Valeria Kalcheva.

Emil Dimitrov’s statement that the expected European funds under the Reconstruction and Development Plan are “related to ecology and many people have tried to take money from there and have made projects” answered the question whether there are no interests and demands of various political circles to the MoEW at the moment.

Attached are documents uploaded on the website of the department, which prove that OPE, the Directorate of the National Service for Nature Protection, the Enterprise for Management of Environmental Protection Activities and the directorates of the national parks were directly subordinated to Dimitrov. This meant “that it is impossible that he did not know in full detail what was happening in his wards.” The site also contains the orders for payment of bonuses to OPE employees for the last quarter of 2020 and the first of 2021, and other documents showing “disputed results”.

– .