site.btaMedia Review: August 30

CURRENT POLITICS

On two full inside pages, Trud has interviewed psychiatrist and writer Lyubomir Kanov, who compares controversial businessman Vassil Bojkov's return from Dubai to a John Le Carre spy thriller with many layers, part of which are invisible to ordinary people. The interviewee says that Bojkov probably counts on immunity if he manages "to wreck the ruling majority and thus enable [Bulgarian President Rumen] Radev, i.e. Putin, to assume full control." "At this point of the war in Ukraine, where, in my opinion, the Russian President is furious that it is progressing as expected, and the hybrid war against Bulgaria which he launched far earlier has escalated to a point that he activates all possible resources at his disposal so as to restore Radev's vassality over all Bulgaria," Kanov says. In his view, the local elections predetermine the way the political situation and power will be shared in the coming months and may lead to a shift in the power balance in parliament and in Bulgarian politics in general. Asked about the government's survival chances, the psychiatrist says that "a lot depends on Boyko Borissov's quite insecure behaviour as he is hesitant and not quite sure whether they should form a united front against that robbery of power that Radev has committed and continues to commit. Certainly, this would take constitutional amendments which are proposed rather frivolously and haphazardly, as well as opposing Radev's control over all services, top brass, etc."

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Viktor Turmakov writes in a front-page comment in Duma that "in recent decades Bulgaria has degenerated to a point of being perceived as a Third World country, with politicians behaving as appointed to the local colonial administration, ready to brutalize their own people in order to please the 'white master across the ocean'. The author cites the actions of Meglena Kuneva, who agreed to all pre-accession demands from Brussels, an aside by former agriculture minister Desislava Taneva "don' tell the partners", the behaviour of former French ambassador in Sofia Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes, and rumours that the incumbent government assemblage was prepared abroad." 

OCTOBER 29 LOCAL ELECTIONS

Trud leads on the October 29 local elections, quoting lawyers and MPs as saying that it is not yet clear when the private company Smartmatic will upgrade the software to adapt the voting machines for the election of mayors and municipal councillors. Machines will be used in 9,366 of the nearly 11,800 voting sections countrywide. Central Election Commission (CEC) Spokesperson Rositsa Mateva told the daily that Smartmatic had assured them that the upgrade will be done on time. Mateva denied that CEC lacks control of the machines' source code. The Commission suggests that the Election Code be amended to increase the interval between the first and second round of voting from one to two weeks, but the Spokesperson is sure that they can cope even within a single week, as they did at the 2021 presidential elections. Approached by the daily for comment, constitutional law expert Borislav Tzekov insisted on an end to experimenting with the Election Code at the last minute before elections, and Yavor Bozhankov MP of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria argued that the adoption of Election Code revisions on the eve of polling day will be prompted by the latest amendments to the Code because the mixed voting by paper ballot and machine will cause "formidable difficulties" on October 29.  The story continues on two full inside pages. 

ONLINE WORK

Georgi Parvanov of the Bulgarian Association for People Management and of the Bulgarian Employment Confederation said on Bulgarian National Radio that some 10% of Bulgarians work distantly. "Working from abroad at this point is rather an exception. It is forbidden by tax legislation," he specified. "The employer is clearly required to meet the online working employee's connectivity expenses: Internet and mobile phone," the expert explained. "The Y and Z generations regard distance working as the most natural thing. Generation X people, however, are somewhat apprehensive," Parvanov added.

"Now everybody in the labour market are job hoppers," he pointed out. "On the average, an employee in Bulgaria stays with a company for less than three years. Y and Z generations are keen on early retirement," the expert noted.

ELECTRICITY PRICE

Trud writes in a page-long unsigned item that undisclosed manipulation of electricity prices may well bankrupt the producers of energy from renewable sources. This is so because a Council of Ministers decision has extended taxation of the ceiling of RES producers until the end of the year, which runs counter to EU low-carbon economy targets and the Energy Minister's statement that green energy is a top government priority.

TOURISM

Institute for Analysis and Assessment in Tourism Director Rumen Draganov argued in a Bulgarian National Radio interview on Wednesday morning that no holiday bookings have been cancelled on account of reports about Black Sea water pollution. He attributes these reports to paid projects and sensations. In his opinion, these reports were proved wrong by several million Bulgarians and foreigners who opted for a seaside vacation in Bulgaria this summer.

MEDICINES IN  SHORT SUPPLY

Interviewed on National Television Wednesday morning, Bulgarian Drug Agency Executive Director Bogdan Kirilov discussed the measures that the government is taking to address the issue with medicines missing from the pharmacies.

VASSIL BOJKOV'S RETURN

Lawyer Stoyan Baumeyer said in a bTV interview on Wednesday morning that Bojkov had been cooperating with the US authorities for two years in connection with his June 2021 Magnitsky designation and during each of his seven questionings he asked when he could go back to clear his name. Around January 2023 the US advised him against coming back because of the political situation. From Day One, the Abu Dhabi prosecution office treated him as a politically exposed person and told him that if he wanted to go he could do so but had to sign a declaration that he was going at his own risk.

"The US authorities did not encourage him to return, but they said the time now is better than before. He was not extradited. The Emirati prosecution service knew absolutely everything on all three cases," Baumeyer said. "The UAE was responsible for him, having granted him asylum." 

"From the first minute, he said that he would cooperate fully with the US authorities. Over 25,000 pages of materials have been provided to them: emails, invoices, bank transfers, recordings," the lawyer said without elaborating. "The US knows more about Bojkov than he knows about himself. In mid-September he is yet to meet with the US authorities for further explanations, to pay a fine," the interviewee said. "It is not a fine amounting to millions. He simply must give the money to NGOs to spend them on charity," the lawyer added.

"In all questionings, Bojkov spoke only about [then finance minister Vladislav] Goranov and [prime minister Boyko] Borissov. Maybe he mentioned other names in the details," the lawyer recalled, referring to the BGN 60 million that Bojkov allegedly paid the two in kickbacks. He did not specify which US authorities will question his client.

"We managed to prove that he never had an active role in the amendments to the [gambling] law. He was rich both before and after the law was amended. It was not a vital matter for him to have the law amended. The amendments were initiated by Borissov and Goranov," Baumeyer said.

"There were no questions about Prigozhin. He was asked about other foreign nationals. Bojkov had no business in Russia. Prigozhin was an ordinary businessman in 2014-2015," he added. 

Asked what the US promised his client, the lawyer said he had no right to tell. "He us under a threat. Something can happen to him in prison," Baumeyer pointed out.

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Former deputy foreign minister Milen Keremedchiev said on Nova TV Wednesday morning that Bojkov's return had apparently been organized by the Emirati authorities because he does not usually use civil aviation flights instead of an executive jet (he left Bulgaria by one). The interviewee explained that, when he settled in the UAE, Bojkov had to surrender his passport, which barred him from leaving the country. Keremedchiev blamed poor communication with the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry for the one-day delay with which the information on Bojkov's extradition reached Bulgaria. 

In the same show, lawyer Iveta Anadolska argued that no proceedings granting Bulgaria's extradition request for Bojkov have been completed by a final judicial decision. 

Such proceedings took place in 2021, and the Abu Dhabi court said it was refusing his extradition because several of the five mandatory documents required to consider such a request had not been submitted. "If Bulgaria subsequently sent these documents and the request was granted, the prosecution should have presented the relevant judicial decision to the Sofia City Court when the measure securing his appearance was considered. Instead, the court held that there was no risk of Bojkov absconding," the lawyer reasoned.

She is concerned that the reports that have been leaking since Tuesday are intended to prompt the Appellate Court to hold that there is a risk of Bojkov absconding, which is a tangible risk in the event of extradition.

According to Keremedchiev, the UAE very rarely extradites persons wanted by Interpol. "The fact that the Abu Dhabi court refused the extradition and decided against it suggests that he went to the police and stated his wish to return to Bulgaria. That is why he was not escorted to the airport but was asked to produce his air ticket as proof that he would return to Bulgaria."

The lawyer believes that Bojkov was not expelled from the UAE because he did not pose a risk to that country's national security or public order. 

Both interviewees concurred that Bojkov rather decided to come back home on his own.

ALEXEY PETROV'S MURDER

In 24 Chasa, Slavi Angelov writes, quoting sources in law enforcement, that what is certain for the time being is that Petrov was killed by two shots: one in the eye and one in the torso (near the heart) from a 7.62 mm AK-47 assault rifle. During his weekly walks in Mount Vitosha, the businessman was not accompanied by his security guards who took a car ride and waited for him at the final destination. The killer and his aiders were aware of this arrangement. So far there is no reliable clue about the identity of the hitman and his aiders, nor are Petrov's security guards under suspicion. Investigators assume that the murder was motivated by the businessman's past and that all three attacks on him (in 2002, 2015 and 2023) were contracted by one and the same person, probably driven by personal animosity. In a separate story, the daily tells about Petrov's heirs, who will have to share up property and over 90 companies worth nearly BGN 500 million and cash in various bank accounts ranging from BGN 4 to 20 million.

SPACE EXPLORATION

Duma runs a page-long interview with Indian journalist Mewati Sitaram, prompted by the success of India's Chandrayaan-3 lunar exploration mission.  

CULTURE

On two full pages, 24 Chasa rounds up memories of the 1993 and 2008 Bulgarian tours of Italian singer Toto Cutugno, who died on August 22.

SPORT

Duma devotes its spread to Bulgarian chess player Nurgyul Salimova, a runner-up in the Women's World Chess Cup final in Baku. The paper covers the hero's welcome that Salimova received in her native village of Krepcha (Northeastern Bulgaria) and recalls that Bulgaria has two chess world champions: Veselin Topalov (2005-2006) and Antoaneta Stefanova (2004-2006).