site.btaCulture Minister Minekov Says OLAF Found Misuse of EUR 4.5 Mln in Central Sofia Makeover Project

Sofia, June 8 (BTA) - Referring to a report by the European
Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) that recommends a probe into three
ministers and one mayor, caretaker Culture Minister Velislav
Minekov told a news briefing on Tuesday that nearly 4.5 million
euro had disappeared during the EU-funded makeover of Sofia's
Largo, a project completed in 2016 under the second GERB
government. He did not name names and declined to discuss the
report's contents.

Minekov said he will refer the report to the prosecution service
 but expressed a doubt as to the result. "However, I think that
very soon this prosecuting magistracy will start working at high
 speed," Minekov commented. He will then refer the matter to the
 European Public Prosecutor's Office over suspicions of EU funds
 fraud.

In February 2019, the Bulgarian Socialist Party sent an alert to
 OLAF and the prosecuting magistracy about suspected misuse of
EU funding in the Largo project, a large pedestrian space
including ancient ruins in the centre of the Bulgarian capital.
The alert came after journalist and Socialist MP Elena Yoncheva
presented documents and recordings which, according to her,
proved that the then culture minister, Boil Banov, had forged
documents in order to help the building company evade paying
some 700,000 leva in damages for delays in the second and third
stages of the Largo's makeover. On April 12, 2019 the 
Specialized Prosecutor's Office refused to launch pre-trial 
proceedings against Banov, saying there was no evidence of any
wrongdoing.

Minekov also told journalists that the National Palace of
Culture - Congress Centre Sofia (NDK) incurred a loss of 86.5
million leva from 2017 until the end of 2020. The Culture
Ministry will order a thorough financial check because this loss
 exceeds half of the Ministry's budget, he said.
  
The Minister will order a check into when and how "one party
[GERB] settles in a Palace of Culture". "Could we say that this
is part of a government of coercion and the NDK directors were
asked to agree to such a service?" the Minister asked, referring
 to the party's headquarters in the building.

Commenting on charges brought against Angel Papalezov, the head
of the Interior Ministry's Cultural and Historical Valuables
Unit, the Culture Minister said that everyone owns items with
"characteristics of movable cultural and historical assets".
According to Minekov, the purpose of the charges was to
intimidate Papalezov. "I will not let him be victimized. I will
seek his advice because it is extremely valuable," the Minister
noted.

Last week, Papalezov was charged with participating in a
criminal group trafficking in cultural and historical property.
Items with characteristics of movable cultural and historical
heritage, coins and other material evidence were found in his
office.

RY/DS/DD