The cabinet has adopted amendments to the decree on the implementation of the state budget, with which it tries to cover up scandalous actions surrounding the acquisition of 1.6 billion BGN debts of “Toplofikatsia Sofia” to BEH and “Bulgargaz”. The changes were made through the decree by which the Treasury grants the Ministry of Energy the extraordinary amount for the acquisition of the debt. In the transitional and final texts of this document, amendments are also foreseen in other decrees that illuminate the violation of the rules.
The cabinet has changed a key text of the budget decree, which requires that before the acquisition of debt, the state must receive approval from the EC of the granted state aid or an opinion that there is none. In the new editions, there is no longer an explicit requirement, but it is written in general that this will be done in compliance with the legislation on state aid. In the decree on the implementation of the law on the state budget, the text obliging the Minister of Energy to prepare a notification on the order of state aid within two months and to provide information to the Ministry of Finance for the purpose of sending it to the EC has been completely canceled.
“These texts from the decree actually describe the legal order for state aid, and their cancellation does not mean that the law can be violated,” experts commented to “Sega”. Namely, the newly cut texts are the legal basis for the draft contracts that the Ministry of Energy will conclude with the two state companies for the acquisition of the debt – BEH and “Bulgargaz”.
The draft contracts are for assignment, they are extremely short and do not contain any other legal grounds beyond the possibility of acquiring the debt provided for in the law on the state budget and the decree on its implementation. At the same time, it remains an enigma on what basis it was judged that a state body – a ministry, other than the financial one, can directly acquire debt. “Usually this is done through state-owned companies. There is no case where a direct ministry has acquired debt in this way. In which part of its budget does this affect? The assumption of this debt by a ministry, and not through a state-owned company, will unexpectedly inflate the deficit, because the operation will affect the ministry’s budget,” financiers commented to “Sega”. However, it is not clear what the final effect on the deficit is, because a series of parallel actions are being taken to transfer other receivables other than those of “Toplofikatsia Sofia”.
The forced donation of BGN 728 million from BEH to the Electricity System Security Fund also raises questions. The Law on Public Enterprises forbids the intervention of the state in the direct operational activity of the enterprises, other experts comment.
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2024-03-31 02:24:54
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