Mediapool: Delyan Peevski makes his business public and leaves the parliament

/ world today news/ The deputy from the DPS became the owner of “Bulgartabac” and other companies

Days after he formalized his media ownership, DPS MP Delyan Peevski began to reveal the rest of his business. According to DPS sources that Mediapool spoke to, he will announce that he is leaving parliament at the start of the political season.

One of the most closely guarded secrets in the state – about the ownership of “Bulgartabac” – is already beginning to be revealed, after Peevski legalized his participation in the company.

Since August 27, he is a co-owner in three more companies founded by his mother just a month ago. These are “Bio Water”, “Bio Water Investment” and “NSN Investment”.

All companies are registered at the address of the editorial offices of the “Telegraph” and “Monitor” newspapers – Sofia, 119 “Ekzarch Yosif” St. They have BGN 10,000 capital each, deposited on collection accounts at the First Investment Bank (FIB).

It can be assumed that Peevski will formalize his ownership in more companies, which are believed to be under his control, but whose owners are listed as proxies or offshore companies. Among them are some of the largest companies in the construction industry.

The deals take place in the context of a shake-up in the family’s business. Usually Peevski’s mother Irena Krasteva transfers shares to her son.

The mother-son tandem directly owns a stake in Bulgartabac

Delyan Peevski and his mother Irena Krasteva are now officially the owners of 5% of the shares of Bulgartabac Holding, according to a reference in the Commercial Register.

On August 17, “NSN Investment”, which is owned by Irena Krasteva, bought 100% of the shares of “Tabako Investment” of Petar Mandjukov. The arms dealer’s company is registered at 15 – 17 Belovodski Path, which is meters away from the mansion where the honorary leader of the DPS Ahmed Dogan lives.

The price of the deal and the method of payment are not clear. They are settled between seller and buyer with a framework agreement between the parties signed on July 22. The document has not been published in the Commercial Register.

According to the report of “Tabako Investment” at the end of 2014, its asset of shares in the cigarette holding was estimated at BGN 16.9 million.

The day after the entry of the change – August 18, Irena Krasteva donated 90% of her shares in NSN Investment to her son Delyan Peevski.

From the last general meeting of “Bulgartabac Holding”, it can be seen that “Tabaco Investment” have 368,362 shares of the company, which is 5% of their total number.

During the general meeting held in June, the then owner and manager Petar Mandjukov was represented by lawyer Geno Andreev, who is in the same office as Alexander Angelov – the lawyer who, according to the banker Tsvetan Vassilev, is the ideologue of the transaction, with which the control over ” Bulgartabac” ended up in the hands of Peevski.

With this transaction, Peevski is now directly a minority shareholder in the tobacco holding, although business circles claim that he controls the company after splitting his business with the bankrupt banker Tsvetan Vasilev in early 2014. Days after the closure of the Corporate Commercial Bank (KTB ) in June of this year, its executive directors made it clear that the reason for the Peevski-Vasilev rift was unsettled financial relationships for millions of BGN, and one of the transactions was related to Bulgartabac.

In February 2014, the Commission for the Protection of Competition unprecedentedly hid the name of the buyer of “Bulgartabac Holding” on the grounds that an individual was behind the transaction and therefore it was not subject to regulations.

And more gifts from mom

Ten days after the Bulgartabac deal – on August 27, Delyan Peevski became a co-owner in two more companies that were founded by his mother a month earlier. These are “Bio Water” and “Bio Water Investment”.

Just as with the deal for the media, Irena Krasteva gave her son 50% each in the two newly created companies.

At the moment, there is no information that they acquired any assets before the intra-family transaction. Judging by their name, however, they can be expected to acquire shares from one of the powerful companies in the construction business – Vodstroy 98, which builds a number of infrastructure projects mainly in the water sector.

At the moment, there is no change in the ownership of “Vodstroy” and it is officially owned by “PM Control” EOOD, which is owned by Ivan Mirinski, the Trade Register points out. In the construction industry, however, since the beginning of 2014, it has been claimed that the “successful young man” is behind the company, as Peevski described himself.

According to informed sources, he also has shares in another major construction player, but in the road sector – the PST Group company, which continues to be owned by the Cypriot offshore company Colvik, according to the Commercial Register.

Peevski will leave the parliament as a successful businessman

The surprising move to legalize Peevski as a business magnate is most likely related to the approaching moment when he will officially leave the parliament. As Mediapool wrote last fall, the sending of the former MEP from DPS Metin Kazak as ambassador to Qatar may be part of a larger scenario related to Peevski’s withdrawal to the same country. According to Mediapool sources, Peevski’s official separation from politics will be announced after the opening of the new parliamentary session.

It remains to be seen whether the decision is to stay here and continue to be Ahmed Dogan’s personal go-between in arranging political and business deals, as well as personnel appointments, a role he is said to be fulfilling up until now. He could retain this function even if he formally withdrew from the country.

If Peevski leaves the parliament, he will fulfill the prescription of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who recently stated that DPS will become an acceptable partner for talks if Peevski is not a representative. This most likely means that the GERB-DPS alliance, demonstrated during key votes in the parliament, will now be able to be “legalized”. The Institute for Right-Wing Politics, which is close to GERB, recommended in June that DPS part with “prominent persons” in order to come to power.

The coming to light of Peevski’s business also takes place against the background of Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov’s proposal to soften the restrictions against offshore companies doing business in our country.