site.btaSenior Foreign Ministry Officials Investigated in Connection with Business Trip Service Contracts

Senior Foreign Ministry Officials Investigated in Connection with Business Trip Service Contracts

Sofia, January 20 (BTA) - Prosecutors have begun to investigate senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for malfeasance in office and mismanagement in connection with two public procurement contracts, the Prosecution of Bulgaria reported on Friday. The contracts concern the provision of airline tickets, hotel accommodation and medical insurance for business trips of Foreign Ministry employees.

The two contracts were 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 employees of that ministry.

This brought benefit to the company, which initially had a contract only with the Agriculture and Food Ministry, and not with the Foreign Ministry. Eventually, the Foreign Ministry had to pay the company 700,000 leva in six months for the above-listed services. The Foreign Ministry did not use the same big discounts which the Agriculture and Food Ministry had used, although that was possible. In this way, the Foreign Ministry incurred 148,000 leva detriment.

The investigating prosecutors will require the two ministries to provide all relevant documents and will question all persons involved. Economic experts will determine the exact amount of the pecuniary damage inflicted on the Foreign Ministry.