site.btaCC-DB Co-Leaders Vassilev, Petkov Claim National Social Security Institute Trying to Steal BGN 100 Mln from Pensioners

Attending an election campaign event in Ruse, Continue the Change co-leaders Assen Vassilev and Kiril Petkov claimed that it transpires from a draft report of the Supervisory Board of the National Social Security Institute (NSSI) that NSSI are trying to steal BGN 100 million from pensioners in Bulgaria by increasing their pensions by 10% instead of 11%.

According to Vassilev, this will take BGN 8 from each pensioner every month until the end of the year, and will continue next year. "They are trying to hide that [by saying] the inflation was lower. I read from the NSSI website, as it says: the consumer price index is the index that was applied when drawing up the state budget. So, there is no reason to take BGN 8 from pensioners every month to give it to probably some crony companies," Vassilev said, described this as "direct theft and an absolute scandal".

"We are collecting signatures to convene an extraordinary sitting of the National Assembly to take a decision to oblige the NSSI and the government to implement the budget as it was put down," Vassilev stressed.

Petkov added that GERB are actually back in power and they are already trying to steal BGN 100 million from the pensioners. "We are not going to let them. We are convening an extraordinary session of Parliament and we will oblige the Council of Ministers to pay those BGN 100 million to the pensioners as set out in the budget," he said.