site.btaSofia Deputy Mayor Hristov Resigns after Media Reports about Wrong-doing in Public Procurement

Sofia Deputy Mayor Hristov Resigns after Media Reports about Wrong-doing in Public Procurement

Sofia, April 22 (BTA) - Sofia Deputy Mayor in charge of transport Lyubomir Hristov has tendered his resignation, the Sofia City Hall said. The resignation came after media reports that connected Hristov's name and a winning contractor of a public procurement procedure for public transport stop shelters. The winning contractor is the husband of an MP from the ruling GERB party, Irena Kotseva.

According to the media reports, Kotseva was on good terms with Hristov thanks to which her husband won public procurement for 60 bus shelters in Sofia, which the reports claimed were with inflated prices.

GERB floor leader Tsvetan Tsvetanov said that the party is to decide whether to expel Kotseva at an extraordinary meeting which will be held on April 26.

Kotseva herself would not say whether Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov has asked her to leave but said the two have talked. "I will resign if so demanded by the parliamentary group. I rely that the truth will be revealed," she said. Kotseva did no deny her friendship with Hristov, saying "it dates back to more than 20 years".

Tsvetanov said that GERB's parliamentary group was firmly behind Kotseva and will listen to what she has to say before discussing her resignation.

Tsvetanov said he had talked with Kotseva who said that a public procurement procedure was held, "where all legal requirements were complied with, where several bidders took part, no one has filed an objection and where concrete bodies inspected the respective performances and drew up the respective memorandums for acceptance of the facilities".