site.bta Ex-Energy Minister Ovcharov Charged with Mismanagement over Belene N-Plant Project

Ex-Energy Minister Ovcharov Charged with Mismanagement over Belene N-Plant Project

Sofia, November 17 (BTA) - The prosecution service has charged former energy minister Roumen Ovcharov with mismanagement which caused the National Electric Company (NEK) damage exceeding 190 million euro.

Ovcharov, who turned up at Sofia's Investigative Service on Thursday with his lawyer Vassil Vassilev, commented that he was charged for allowing the first agreement on the Belene Nuclear Power Plant project to be signed. He accused outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borissov of exerting pressure on the prosecution, and said the detriment was not caused by the contract signed but by Borissov's decision to abandon the project.

In June Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov said charges would be brought as part of the investigation into the Belene project.

Two of NEK's executive directors, Lyubomir Velkov and Mardik Papazian, have also been charged with concluding a transaction which resulted in a detriment
exceeding 77 million euro. The prosecution service holds that they failed to protect the interest of the state-owned company, which lost 77 million euro in a deal with Russia's AtomStroyExport for the old equipment of the Belene N-plant. Former economy and energy minister Peter Dimitrov has also been charged with mismanagement.

GERB's former energy minister Delyan Dobrev has been summoned for questioning on Friday.