It is possible that the affected companies out of 64 will reach 180
The Council of Ministers cannot impose real bans, the prime minister hopes for the next parliament
Both the Levski and CSKA 1948 football teams could be included
An attempt to stop bank transfers to the Bulgarians sanctioned by the US under the “Magnitsky” law – Vasil Bozhkov, Delyan Peevski and Ilko Zhelyazkov, and to their companies will be made by the caretaker government. This is being discussed at the Security Council under Prime Minister Stefan Yanev, which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Boyko Rashkov, Finance Minister Asen Vassilev, all special services and Chief Secretary of the Presidency Dimitar Stoyanov.
“To protect state-owned companies from imposing financial sanctions. To this end, we must prevent bank transactions with these investigators so as not to block businesses and state-owned companies. What has been said so far is directly dependent on necessity
to be developed
rules for
behavior on
the Bulgarian ones
banks
in a situation like this at the moment and in implementation of the law on credit institutions “, said at the beginning of the meeting Stefan Yanev.
However, the government has not been able to ask banks to suspend transfers to both the three directly and their companies, which have come under US sanctions. Prime Minister Yanev also explained that Bulgaria has no rules for reacting to such cases, but hopes they will be adopted by the next parliament.
Banks do not
reacted through
the whole day
on Monday at the call of the caretaker government. Anyone who wants to continue to make dollar payments and not be sanctioned in the future by the United States must refrain from doing business with companies of sanctioned Bulgarians.
All banks operating in Bulgaria have taken action in accordance with the regulations and their internal rules, the BNB commented succinctly to 24 Chasa.
In the absence of other legal rules, the cabinet plans to use SANS to limit cash flows to the three sanctioned and their companies, 24 Chasa has learned. Under the Anti-Money Laundering Measures Act, banks must report to the agency’s financial intelligence any transfer worth more than BGN 10,000. The agency can block payments if it deems appropriate. The orders are subject to judicial appeal, but the money will be suspended at least temporarily.
64 companies allegedly linked to Bozhkov, Peevski and Zhelyazkov were blacklisted by the NRA and SANS on Friday. It must be used by banks and state-owned companies to avoid doing business with those sanctioned by the United States. The NRA has also created a second list, which so far includes only former Deputy Minister Alexander Manolev, former head of the agency for Bulgarians abroad Petar Haralampiev and former agency secretary general Krassimir Tomov, who have been banned from entering the United States due to corruption.
The list
will be
expanded,
it will include people and companies that could potentially be subject to US sanctions for links to the three accused by the United States of corruption, the prime minister explained on Monday. The government’s decision to create blacklists provides for them to be included
all physically
and legally
persons who in
last 5 years
had a relationship
with somebody
of the sanctioned. That means more than 180 companies will enter, unofficial government sources estimate. The two elite football clubs – “Levski” and CSKA 1948, which were owned by Vasil Bozhkov and his companies, could also be added.
The government’s task is to minimize political and economic risks, the prime minister said Monday in criticism from lawyers that the government’s decision on blacklists has no legal basis and violates the constitution and the inviolability of private property. If no measures are taken, budget organizations (including hospitals and schools, as well as ministries), state and municipal companies could fall under the blows of future US sanctions, Yanev warned. He criticized the work of the special services so far and blamed them for the growth of corruption and US sanctions.
“It simply came to our notice then
anxious and
it is humiliating
to receive
outside
for the existence of serious corrupt practices against which the competent state authorities have apparently not done anything effective so far. Until now, these bodies have not only been ineffective and useless, but in our society there is a suspicion that they have catalyzed the development of the corrupt environment, “said Yanev.
“This is a serious signal that corruption in Bulgaria has deep roots in the political and economic system of the country and that the problems in this regard are already beyond our national borders,” said the caretaker Prime Minister.
Yanev demanded a major change in the work of the prosecution, the judiciary and special services. According to him, at the moment it was difficult to say that they were coping with their main functions.
Radev: The measures must not violate civil rights
The reactions of the caretaker government to the sanctions imposed by the United States under the Magnitsky Act must be assessed very carefully with regard to the observance of civil rights.
This was demanded by President Rumen Radev on Monday after lawyers accused the government of violating the constitution with blacklists.
“It would be unconstitutional if the state cannot protect its financial security, but the measures must be very careful and precise with regard to civil rights,” the head of state said in Plovdiv, where he visited on Monday.
The sanctions under the Magnitsky law for Bulgarians and related companies are a precedent for the EU. We have been moving towards Bulgaria’s European development for ten years, and now we find ourselves next to Uganda, Sudan and Saudi Arabia, “Rumen Radev added.
He added that there is no clear legal framework on how exactly a member state of the European Union that falls under such restrictions should act. However, the caretaker government was obliged to take measures and minimize the risk for institutions and citizens due to the imposed restrictions.
First case – Bozhkov’s party is suing the state
The Bulgarian Summer party, founded by 18-accused businessman Vasil Bozhkov, who fled to Dubai, has filed a lawsuit against the government in the Supreme Administrative Court. The reason is the compilation of blacklists by the caretaker government under the dictation of a foreign country, explained Bozhkov with status on Facebook.
“The decision of the Council of Ministers is unprecedented in the democratic history of our country. The Cabinet was in such a hurry to fulfill the will of foreign “bosses” (as Borissov called them) that it violated a whole bunch of fundamental rights of Bulgarian citizens established by the constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and many Bulgarian laws “, claims Bozhkov.
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