site.bta Former Deputy Foreign Minister Charged with Mismanagement

Former Deputy Foreign Minister Charged with Mismanagement

Sofia, May 4 (BTA) - Former Deputy Foreign Minister Hristo Angelichin has been charged with mismanagement, the prosecution office said Thursday. He is accused of failing to exercise adequate control over the head of the Foreign Ministry directorate for asset management in January-June 2016, causing the Ministry deteriment of nearly 500,000 leva.

The said amount was unduly paid by the Foreign Ministry to a company by two agreements between the Foreign and the Agriculture Ministries. The payments were for airline tickets, hotel accommodation and medical insurance for business trips of Foreign Ministry employees.

Prosecutors said in January 2017 that senior Foreign Ministry officials were under investigation for malfeasance in office and mismanagement in connection with two public procurement contracts signed between the Foreign Ministry and the Agriculture and Food Ministry to allow the former to use the services of a company via the Agriculture and Food Ministry. The company had been contracted by the Agriculture and Food Ministry to provide airline tickets, hotel accommodation and medical insurance for business trips of Ministry employees.

Angelichin has denied any wrongdoing and said the Public Procurement Act allowed the Foreign Ministry to go through another ministry which has a contract signed after a public procurement procedure.